Vice President Mike Pence is a hardcore evangelical who calls himself "a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order." But he's also gained notoriety for saying some really weird stuff about women. Clearly, Mike Pence's relationship with women is strained. He has passed laws limiting women's access to reproductive healthcare, and once wrote an open letter saying that working mothers have a negative effect on their children. He apparently doesn't trust himself around them, either - Pence has publicly admitted his aversion to dining alone with any woman other than his wife.
Women and Mike Pence seem unlikely to agree on many issues. However - perhaps because America has recently leapt into the darkest timeline - Pence managed to be awarded the Working for Women award by the Independent Women's Forum, a conservative nonprofit organization, in March of 2017. This honor was bestowed despite Pence's actions and championing of stringent gender rules, which appear to run in direct opposition to furthering women's workplace opportunities.
There's no other way to say it: Mike Pence is a weirdo around women.
Mike Pence calls his wife "Mother." If that wasn't cringe-inducing enough, consider this: in a Rolling Stone profile on Pence, it was revealed that Pence doesn't just call Karen Pence "Mother." He calls her "Mother, Mother." As in, "Mother, Mother, whose china are we eating on?"
The revelation left the writer "wondering what was weirder: Pence's inability to make conversation, or calling his wife 'Mother' in the second decade of the 21st century."
He Really Doesn't Want Women To Have Abortions
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Mike Pence loves talking about how anti-choice he is. He used some grimly evocative language when talking about Roe v. Wadeduring the campaign, saying he'd like to see the bill "consigned to the ash heap of history where it belongs."
That isn't just talk, either. In March of 2016, the then-Governor of Indiana signed a bill that heaped new restrictions on women's access to abortions. The bill also set new rules for doctors, banning them from performing an abortion based on the mother's objections related to the fetus's race, sex, or disability.
He Won't Employ Any Female Aides
Photo: HBO
Mike Pence refuses to employ any female aides, presumably because the demands of the job might sometimes cause them to work late hours together. Perhaps Pence is certain that every woman is out to seduce him, and is just waiting for the chance to get him alone. An even sadder read on this situation would be that Pence himself possesses little to no self-control around women, and needs sexual barriers in the form of other men and his wife.
Pence calls his "no female aides allowed" policy - and similar rules - "building a zone around [his] marriage."
He Won't Dine Alone With A Woman
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Mike Pence's strict mealtime rules were brought to light in a Washington Post profile of Karen Pence. In 2002, Pence said that he doesn't eat alone with any woman other than his wife. Apparently, business lunches are off the table.
He Won't Go Near Alcohol Without "Mother" Being Present
Photo: HBO
Mike Pence chooses to abstain from liquor when "Mother" - AKA his wife, Karen Pence - isn't around to keep her eye on him. In a 2002 interview with The Hill, Pence said he doesn't attend events with booze unless his wife with him. In his own words: "If there's alcohol being served and people are being loose, I want to have the best-looking brunette in the room standing next to me."
Surprisingly, Pence did not follow up that statement with the famous temperance slogan, "Lips that touch liquor shall never touch mine."
He And His Wife Had A Special Phone That Only She Knew The Number To
Photo: HBO
A Washington Post profile revealed another weird detail about Mike Pence's marriage. During his years as a House member, Pence had a red phone - and only Karen Pence had the number to it. According to the Post, this was meant to symbolize the enduring connection that the Pences shared.
