Incoming first lady Jill Biden shared a message of women’s empowerment with her Twitter followers on Sunday evening, two days after an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal suggested she drop “Dr.” from her title.
“Together, we will build a world where the accomplishments of our daughters will be celebrated, rather than diminished,” Biden said in a tweet to her more than 2.5 million followers.
On Friday, essayist and short-story writer Joseph Epstein penned an opinion article in the Journal arguing that Biden, a teacher who received a doctorate of education from the University of Delaware in 2007, should “drop the doc.”
“A wise man once said that no one should call himself ‘Dr.’ unless he has delivered a child,” Epstein wrote.
The op-ed was met with swift pushback on social media, with many users criticizing its premise as sexist and dismissive.
Biden, who taught classes at Northern Virginia Community College during her husband Joe Biden’s stint as vice president, plans to return to that job once the first family enters the White House.
“Yes, so many classrooms are quiet right now,” Biden said during a speech at the Democratic National Convention. “The playgrounds are still. But if you listen closely, you can hear the sparks of change in the air. Across the country, educators, parents, first responders, Americans of all walks of life are putting their shoulders back, fighting for each other. We haven’t given up.”