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Women's & Family Issues
Barack Obama has been a strong supporter of women and women’s rights. That is why Barack Obama helped pass the Illinois equal pay act, protecting 330,000 more Illinois women from pay discrimination, and supported the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in the U.S. Senate, which would overturn a recent Supreme Court decision making it harder for women to challenge pay discrimination.Unfortunately, under George Bush’s presidency, working women have faced stagnating wages, declining health care coverage, erosion of pension protections, rising personal debt, and have been hard hit by the housing crisis. Nationwide, women earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. According to a report from the American Association of University Women, Virginia sits in the nation’s cellar - above only New Jersey and Louisiana - in terms of equal pay for women. Women in Virginia make an average of 67 percent of men’s wages. |
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Pay Equity:Barack Obama is a cosponsor of the Fair Pay Act, will fight job discrimination, and improve child care options and family medical leave to give women equal footing in the workplace. In Illinois, Obama passed the Equal Pay Act to give 330,000 more women protection from pay discrimination and passed another law that ensured victims of domestic violence could seek treatment without losing their jobs.Strengthen Women’s Economic Security:The Obama plan will provide 71 million working women with a tax cut of up to $500 – or $1000 per family – to help offset the impact of stagnant wages and skyrocketing costs. Obama will also give 8.4 million working women a raise of up to $4,700 per year by raising the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2011, and he will guarantee seven paid sick days to 22 million working women who currently do not have this protection to take off of if they or their child gets sick.Women in Business:Obama will eliminate all capital gains taxes on Virginia’s 643,000 small businesses, including 157,000 women-owned businesses. Obama also supports federal programs that invest in women-owned businesses, and provide support to women business owners. He will work to reduce discrimination in lending.Reproductive Choice:Obama strongly supports a woman’s right to choose. He has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as president. Obama also supports expanded access to contraception, health information and preventive services to reduce unintended pregnancies. Throughout his career, in both the Illinois Senate and the U.S. Senate, Obama has stood up for a women’s right to choose, consistently earning 100 percent ratings from pro-choice groups.Domestic Violence:Obama introduced legislation to combat domestic violence by providing $25 million a year for partnerships between domestic violence prevention organizations and fatherhood or marriage programs. He passed laws in the Illinois State Senate to increase penalties for those who commit domestic violence. He also cosponsored the Violence Against Women Act.Education:Obama will fight to protect Title IX and make sure women have equal educational opportunities from pre-kindergarten through college.Health Care:Obama is committed to ensuring that all Americans, including the 21.5 million women who don’t have insurance today, have health care coverage by the end of his first term in office. And he will tackle diseases and illnesses that disproportionately affect women.Working Women:Obama will expand the Child and Dependent Care tax credit to 7.5 million more working women, including 216,000 in Virginia. Obama will expand paid sick leave to 22 million working women. |
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