President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House June 21, 2014
Hi, everybody. As President, my top priority is
rebuilding an economy where everybody who works hard has the chance to
get ahead.
That’s what I’ll spend some time talking about on
Monday, at the White House Summit on Working Families. We’re bringing
together business leaders and workers to talk about the challenges that
working parents face every day, and how we can address them together.
Take paid family leave. Many jobs don’t offer
adequate leave to care for a new baby or an ailing parent, so workers
can’t afford to be there when their family needs them the most. That’s
wrong. And it puts us way behind the times. Only three countries in the
world report that they don’t offer paid maternity leave.
Three. And the
United States is one of them. It’s time to change that. A few states
have acted on their own to give workers paid family leave, but this
should be available to everyone, because all Americans should be able to
afford to care for a family member in need.
Childcare is another challenge. Most working families
I know can’t afford thousands a year for childcare, but often that’s
what it costs. That leaves parents scrambling just to make sure their
kids are safe while they’re at work – forget about giving them the
high-quality early childhood education that helps kids succeed in life.
Then there’s the issue of flexibility – the ability
to take a few hours off for a parent-teacher conference or to work from
home when your kid is sick. Most workers want it, but not enough of them
have it. What’s more, it not only makes workers happier – studies show
that flexibility can make workers more productive and reduce worker
turnover and absenteeism. That’s good for business.
At a time when women make up about half of America’s
workforce, outdated workplace policies that make it harder for mothers
to work hold our entire economy back. But these aren’t just problems for
women. Men also care about who’s watching their kids. They’re
rearranging their schedules to make it to soccer games and school plays.
Lots of sons help care for aging parents. And plenty of fathers would
love to be home for their new baby’s first weeks in the world.
In fact, in a new study, nearly half of all parents –
women and men – report that they’ve said no to a job, not because they
didn’t want it, but because it would be too hard on their families.
When that many talented, hard-working people are forced to choose
between work and family, something’s wrong. Other countries are making
it easier for people to have both. We should too, if we want American
businesses to compete and win in the global economy.
Family leave. Childcare. Flexibility. These aren’t
frills – they’re basic needs. They shouldn’t be bonuses – they should be
the bottom line.
The good news is, some businesses are embracing
family-friendly policies, because they know it’s key to attracting and
retaining talented employees. And I’m going to keep highlighting the
businesses that do. Because I take this personally. I take it personally
as the son and grandson of some strong women who worked hard to support
my sister and me. As the husband of a brilliant woman who struggled to
balance work and raising our young ladies when my job often kept me
away. And as the father of two beautiful girls, whom I want to be there
for as much as I possibly can – and whom I hope will be able to have
families and careers of their own one day.
We know from our history that our economy grows best
from the middle-out; that our country does better when everybody
participates; when everyone’s talents are put to use; when we all have a
fair shot. That’s the America I believe in. That’s the America I’ll
keep fighting for every day. Thanks, and have a great weekend.
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