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Address: It’s Time to Help Women and Working Families
November 1, 2014
Hi, everybody. On Friday, I had a discussion with working
women in Rhode Island about the economic challenges they face in their own
lives – challenges shared by many of you.
Thanks to the work we’ve all put
in, our economy has come a long way these past six years. Over the past 55
months, our businesses have added 10.3 million new jobs. For the first time in
six years, the unemployment rate is below 6 percent. And on Thursday, we
learned that over the past six months, our economy has grown at its fastest
pace since 2003.
But the gains of a growing
economy aren’t yet felt by everyone. So we’ve got to harness this momentum, and
make the right choices so that everyone who works hard can get ahead.
In recent weeks, I’ve talked
about these choices, from raising the minimum wage to creating new jobs in
construction and manufacturing. Today, I want to focus on what I discussed with
those women – the choices we need to make to help more women get ahead in
today’s economy.
Right now, women make up almost
half of our workers. More women are their family’s main breadwinner than ever
before. So the simple truth is, when women succeed, America succeeds. And we
should be choosing policies that benefit women – because that benefits all of
us.
Women deserve fair pay. Even
though it’s 2014, there are women still earning less than men for doing the
same work. We don’t have second-class citizens in this country – we shouldn’t
in the workplace, either. So let’s make sure women earn equal pay for equal
work, and have a fair shot at success.
Women deserve to be able to take
time off to care for a new baby, an ailing parent, or take a sick day for
themselves without running into hardship. So let’s make sure all Americans have
access to paid family leave.
Pregnant workers deserve to be
treated fairly. Even today, women can be fired for taking too many bathroom
breaks, or forced on unpaid leave just for being pregnant. That’s wrong – and
we have to choose policies that ensure pregnant workers are treated with
dignity and respect.
New parents deserve quality,
affordable childcare. There’s nothing like the peace of mind that comes with
knowing that your kids are safe while you’re at work. And the benefits that
children get out of early enrichment can pay off for a lifetime. But in many
states, sending your kid to daycare costs more than sending them to a public
university. So let’s start demanding Pre-K for our kids.
And when most low-wage workers
are women, but Congress hasn’t passed a minimum wage increase in seven years,
it’s long past time that women deserve a raise. About 28 million workers would
benefit from an increase in the minimum wage to ten dollars and ten cents an
hour. And more than half of those workers are women. The local businesses where
these workers spend their money would benefit, too. So let’s do this – let’s
give America a raise.
All of these policies are common
sense. All of them are within our reach. We’ve just got to speak up and choose
them. Because they’ll build a stronger America for all of us.
Thanks, and have a great weekend. |
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