--- title: The Issue That Was Mysteriously Missing From the Presidential Debate description: During the presidential debate Sunday night, the candidates barely talked about Trump's sexist statements or the workplace issues they raise. authors: - name: Kristen Bahler role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/kristen-bahler/ bio: Kristen Bahler has spent more than a decade turning culture, work and consumer spending trends into conversation-driving stories. Today, she leads Money's sponsored content channel and reader-favorite franchises like Best Places to Live and Best Places to Travel. education: Northeastern University, MA Journalism at_money_since: 2016 articles: 52 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-bahler/ published: '2016-10-10T04:13:45.000Z' modified: '2024-05-16T11:49:55.000Z' section: Economy and Politics tags: - Election 2016 - parental leave - presidential debate - wage gap - women's rights - workplace harrasment - workplace sexual assault word_count: 404 canonical: https://money.com/presidential-debate-women-issues-missing/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton face off about womens' issues](https://img.money.com/2016/10/160926_debate_gender.jpg) First, let’s be clear: The video that surfaced Friday of Donald Trump bragging about forcefully kissing and groping women describes not just blatant sexual assault, but a very specific kind—that which is inflicted by powerful men on the women who work in their proximity. And yet, during the town hall-style presidential debate Sunday night, the candidates spent just a few paltry seconds discussing Trump’s lewd statements, and zero seconds on the toxic workplace environment that those comments condone. That’s a shame. And it’s a disservice to working women across the country. There’s not a lot of reliable data on workplace sexual harassment and assault. The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates there are about 43,000 workplace rapes and sexual assaults every year. But [experts agree](http://www.npr.org/2016/02/23/467826376/underreporting-makes-sexual-violence-at-work-difficult-to-address) that on-the-job harassment and assault is vastly underreported. The [AFL - CIO](http://www.aflcio.org/Issues/Civil-and-Workplace-Rights/Working-Women/Violence-Against-Women-In-The-Workplace) estimates that rape and sexual assault are reported to the police at the lowest percentage (24%) when compared to other violent crimes in the workplace—and that nearly half of all workplace crimes committed yearly aren’t reported to the police. In a 2012 HuffPost/YouGov poll of 1,000 adults, 13% reported having been sexually harassed by a boss or another superior, and 19% reported being harassed by a coworker. Of those who said they’d been harassed, 70% said they never reported it. Still, the issue gets scant attention on the campaign trail. For a 90-minute debate packed with insults, there was no mention of Trump's long history of bad workplace behavior. A quick refresher: In May, the *New York Times* reported that more than 50 employees, pageant contestants, and acquaintances of Trump had been the target of alleged inappropriate or unwanted advances from the Republican candidate. Last year, the *Times* revealed that Trump once called his former lawyer Elizabeth Beck’s request to take a break to breast-pump “disgusting.” This is also a candidate who fat shames, habitually [underpays his female staf](http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/282245-report-men-in-trump-campaign-make-35-percent-more-than-women)f, and "manterrupts" at an alarming rate ([14 times](https://money.com/donald-trump-manterruption-presidential-debate/?iid=sr-link1) in this debate alone!). In such a contentious debate—and an election where the first female presidential nominee of a major party is running against a candidate marred by workplace malfeasance—women’s issues should have been a priority. There was no mention of working women at all during the debate—or the [gender wage gap](https://money.com/wage-gap-men-women-equal-pay/?iid=sr-link6), maternity leave, and [Social Security](https://money.com/wives-social-security-women-issue/) questions they want answers to. More than ever, working women deserved a spotlight at Sunday's town hall. 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