Empowering Women: Ivanka Trump Speaks About Female Entrepreneurship At Japan Conference

President Donald Trump’s daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump stressed on the importance of women empowerment and their participation in every field, while speaking at the World Assembly for Women (WAW) conference alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, Japan, Friday.

Trump in her much-anticipated speech said the world must boost women and minority participation in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). The first daughter made women’s issues one of her signature policy areas right from the start of her stint at the White House and stressed on female entrepreneurs and women participating in the economy during her 18-minute speech.

This is her second official trip abroad as a senior White House adviser.

According to the Reuters she said, “Female and minority participation in STEM fields is moving in the wrong direction. We must create equal participation in these traditionally male-dominated sectors of our economy.”

Trump said, “I deeply respect and honor women who choose to work inside the home full time to care for their families. ...We never want to discourage that incredible calling, but we must also ensure that every woman has the freedom to work outside the home if they so choose," the Inquirer reported.

During her speech, Trump praised Abe’s efforts to promote women’s participation in the workforce in Japan. She said the United States and Japan must work harder to make it easier for women to balance their career and family. She also focused on the idea of creating an environment where women could feel at ease and be valued.

Trump also added sexual harassment against women should not be tolerated at all. According to Digital Journal, referring to the outburst of sexual harassment allegations in the U.S. after the reports of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s actions came to limelight, she said, “All too often our workplace culture fails to treat women with appropriate respect. This takes many forms, including harassment, which can never be tolerated.”

Trump spoke at the WAW ahead of her father's presidential visit to Japan on Sunday. As Trump concluded her speech, she also tweeted about empowering and encouraging women to be successful.

According to the Reuters, Abe who was speaking at the conference, said, “I really feel that Japan has come a long way. ... We have put our full strength into creating an environment where it is easy for women to work.”

The report said Abe’s government was aiming to let women be a part of Japan’s workforce and boost economic growth by launching policies such as improved childcare in his 'Womenomics' program.

Abe had vowed at the United Nations in 2013 to create a society where women can shine. But even today there is a wide gender gap as very little effort and progress has been made.

Japan ranked 114 in the World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Gender Gap report. In a Cabinet reshuffle in August, Abe appointed just two women to ministerial posts and only 14 percent of Japan’s lawmakers are women. According to the Cabinet Office, only 3.7 percent of Japanese-listed company executives were women at the end of July this year, reported Reuters.