Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
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.
