Former exec at Ivanka Trump’s company says Donald Trump’s daughter did not provide maternity leave policy for employees

Ivanka Trump’s company had no maternity leave policy, according to a former executive. Marissa Velez Kraxberger has revealed that US presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s daughter didn’t offer maternity leave at her company because she herself went back to work after giving birth to her child.

Kraxberger was the creative director and subsequently the chief marketing officer of Ivanka’s brand from 2013 to 2015, according to her LinkedIn profile. Upon seeing a commercial of her former boss and her father talking about their “maternity leave” policy, she felt like she was “going to be ill.”

She wrote her personal experience with Ivanka’s company on her Facebook page, claiming she and her team even had to fight to be given maternity leave.

When I first interviewed with Ivanka I was 2 months pregnant, she called to offer me a job, which I was at the time very excited about, and when I asked about maternity leave she said she would have to think about it, that at Trump they don't offer maternity leave and that she went back to work just a week after having her first child,” she wrote.

She accepted the job after agreeing that there would be further discussion about the issue after her child was born. Her team created the #WomenWhoWork and “fought long and hard” to get Ivanka to finally agree to give mothers eight weeks of paid maternity leave.

Kraxberger clarified that she did not intend to malign Ivanka, saying it was possible for the US Republican candidate’s daughter to go back to work immediately after giving birth because she had a lot of help at home. However, she did not believe that Ivanka had the best interest of parents and children in her company.

“How can she claim that their maternity policy is a comprehensive solution for our country,” she questioned.

She explained that her team worked hard to create the #WomenWhoWork platform to inspire and encourage women to work at all aspects of their lives. However, Ivanka apparently took the platform and made it all about herself. Kraxberger did not mention if she would be voting for Donald’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, but it’s clear that she would not be voting for him.

“A man who puts down women and makes lewd comments, a man who is an outspoken rascist (sic), a man with no real vision for our future just scare tactics and threats. I’m not only saddened by the state of our nation, but mostly by the fact that our kids foundational years in school, where they learn about our nation’s history, could be under the leadership of this man.”

She concluded with a plea, asking women to rise and have a voice against Donald and all he stands for.

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A brand spokesperson from the Ivanka Trump brand has responded to Kraxberger’s statement, touting the benefits the company gives its employees.

“The team at Ivanka Trump is saddened by this mischaracterisation of how our company developed its industry leading culture and benefits package. In addition to paid leave, we also offer all employees flexible work schedules and unlimited vacation and sick days,” the statement reads.

“As a company for women, run by women, we spent a considerable amount of time in the early days of building our business developing a unique corporate culture and engaged in meaningful dialogue about the benefits that would be most impactful to the people working at Ivanka Trump.

While we respect differing political views from employees, past and present, we are steadfast in our belief that we have built a culture and a brand to be proud of and are deeply committed to supporting and empowering women.”

In an interview with Cosmopolitan in September, Ivanka defended her father’s plans for paid maternity leave policies, in which only mothers who have given birth can benefit from. She said the main idea was for women to recuperate after giving birth, and that means fathers, parents who are both men and adoptive parents are not included.

Updated to include the full statement from a brand spokesperson from Ivanka Trump.

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