Jul

Barack Obama Calls for Equal Pay and More for Women and Working Mothers

In a speech given at a fundraiser event in New York yesterday, Barack Obama made some comments about women that give hope to equal pay and more. Here are some of the highlights from his speech according to a CNN article:

In speaking of his grandmother who worked her way from a secretarial position to become vice president of a bank, Obama said,

"I also saw how she ultimately hit a glass ceiling — how men no more qualified than she was kept moving up the corporate ladder ahead of her."

More quotes from Obama are below:

"As the son, grandson and husband of hard-working mothers, I don’t accept an America that makes women choose between their kids and their careers."

"We take it for granted that women are the backbone of our families, but we too often ignore the fact that women are also the backbone of our middle class. And we won’t truly have an economy that puts the needs of the middle class first until we ensure that when it comes to pay and benefits at work, women are treated like equal partners," he said, urging a commitment to equal pay for women."

He urged "standing up for paid leave, and paid sick leave, because no one should be punished for getting sick or dealing with a family crisis."

Who knows if Obama is elected President if he would follow through and make changes based on this speech, but at least the topics are being noticed and talked about.

What do you think?