President Obama & Women: Remarkable Achievements

On the day that President Obama took office he signed the Lilly Ledbetter bill, ensuring equal pay for women.  This was only the beginning of what has become an unprecedented track record of accomplishments for women. Further, he established the Equal Pay Task Force to enhance enforcement of equal pay laws, increased the participation of women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and signed into law the Affordable Care Act so that “being a woman is no longer considered a pre-existing condition.” This Act prevents insurance companies from discriminating based on gender and provides women with preventive services without co-pays or deductibles, including maternity screenings, mammograms, birth control (as of August 1), and well-woman visits.  His defense of Planned Parenthood is unwavering.

Our President appointed two women, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, as Supreme Court Justices and sought out key women leaders for such roles as Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Secretary of Health and Welfare, Katherine Sibelius. Through the US National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, women are integrated into all aspects of foreign policy, global health systems, combating violence against women and promoting economic opportunity.

In addition to promoting equal pay and fighting pay discrimination, President Obama has worked to provide tax credits for working families, support for women entrepreneurs and businesses, workplace flexibility, fair labor standards for in-home care workers, and an American Jobs initiative designed to open job opportunities in all arenas.

Educational opportunities have been expanded for women and families through access to Head Start for more than 60,000 more children, redesigning “No Child Left Behind” to provide both incentives and standards for growth, and maintaining maximum Pell Grant awards. The newly-established White House Council on Women and Girls works continually to bring equality and opportunities to women in every field.

President Obama has personally benefitted from the support and sensitivity that extraordinary women provide: his grandmother, mother, wife and now two daughters.  In early 2010, the President assured us that “I didn’t run for President so that the dreams of our daughters could be deferred or denied.” He has kept that promise. As a woman who is preparing to vote in her 14th presidential election, I am pleased to vote for the person who has—more than any other President—helped to pave the way forward for women and girls for decades to come.

 

 

This entry was posted on Friday, May 18th, 2012 at 10:02 pm and is filed under Articles, Education, Leadership. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.