White House Summit on Working Families

Statement

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree today attended the White House Summit on Working Families in Washington, where the President spoke on needed reforms to improve policies for working women and families.

"I'm so glad the President is leading these important conversations of fairness and flexibility for women in the workplace," said Pingree. "More and more, women are the primary breadwinners for their families, but when compared to men, they still only make 77 cents on the dollar and make up a majority of minimum-wage earners. By law, mothers and fathers are allowed to take time off from work after the birth of a child, but many are not able to because the leave is unpaid. And finding quality, affordable childcare is a huge problem for many families. These are not just issues for women, but for entire families. We need better policies to ensure that working mothers are fairly compensated and that family providers have the flexibility they need to meet all their responsibilities."

Today's conference featured speeches by the President, Vice President, and First Lady, as well as business leaders and advocates. "Mad Men" actress Christina Hendricks made a surprise appearance, saying that in too many ways today's workplace policies mirror the male-dominated era her character works in.

"In the 21st Century the only place for a story like Joan's should be on TV," Hendricks said.

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