天之聪教育 2014-11-03 White House 918次
Weekly 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.
3月7日,十四届全国人大二次会议在北京梅地亚中心新闻发布厅举行记者会。中共中央政治局委员、外交部长王毅就中国外交政策和对外关系相关问题回答中外记者提问。
新华网&CGTN 2024-03-07 15:18:50
收藏资讯
根据会议议程,国务院总理李强代表国务院向大会作政府工作报告。报告共分三个部分:一、2023年工作回顾;二、2024年经济社会发展总体要求和政策取向;三、2024年政府工作任务。
新华网&CGTN 2024-03-05 20:56:56
收藏资讯
2023年是全面贯彻落实中共二十大精神的开局之年。以习近平同志为核心的中共中央团结带领全党全国各族人民,坚持稳中求进工作总基调,接续奋斗、砥砺前行,坚决克服内外困难,全面深化改革开放,新冠疫情防控平稳转段,高质量发展扎实推进,科技创新实现新突破,安全发展基础巩固夯实,民生保障有力有效,经济社会发展主要预期目标圆满完成,社会大局保持稳定,全面建设社会主义现代化国家迈出坚实步伐,极大增强了全国各族人民信心和底气。
新华网&CGTN 2024-03-05 18:18:43
收藏资讯
女士们、先生们,各位媒体朋友们,下午好!现在举行全国政协十四届二次会议新闻发布会。我们今天的发言人是全国政协十四届二次会议副秘书长兼新闻发言人刘结一先生。我是全国政协十四届二次会议副秘书长邹加怡,今天的新闻发布会由我来主持。坐在左边的这位是全国政协办公厅新闻局局长周北川先生,他会协助我点请记者朋友提问。下面,先请刘结一先生介绍全国政协十四届二次会议的总体安排,之后请媒体朋友们提问。
新华网&CGTN 2024-03-05 18:05:30
收藏资讯