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BARACk OBAMA'S PLAN TO RECLAIM THE AMERICAN dREAM FOR
WOMEN ANd THEIR FAMILIES
AT A GLANCE
Pay Equity
Barack Obama will better enforce the Equal Pay Act, fight job discrimination, and improve child care
options and family medical leave to give women equal footing in the workplace.
Reproductive Choice
Obama has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving a women's right to
choose under Roe v. Wade a priority as president. Obama also supports expanded access to contraception,
health information and preventive services to reduce unintended pregnancies.
Health Care
Obama will tackle diseases and illnesses that disproportionately affect women.
Domestic Violence
Obama introduced legislation to combat domestic violence and cosponsored and helped reauthorize the
Violence Against Women Act.
THE PROBLEM
Discrimination at the Job
For every $1.00 earned by a man, the average woman receives only 77 cents. A recent study estimates it will
take another 47 years for women to close the wage gap with men at Fortune 500 corporate offices.
Need for Paid Leave
The 78 percent of employees covered by the Family Medical Leave Act who have needed leave but have
not taken it report that it is because they could not afford to take unpaid leave. Furthermore, low-income
families are less likely to have the resources or savings to compensate for time off.
Violence Against Women Continues
One-in-four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. Family violence accounted for 11
percent of all violence between 1998 and 2002.
Women's Health
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, accounting for nearly 39 percent of all female
deaths. Studies show that after a first heart attack, women are less likely than men to receive followup care,
and are more likely to have a second heart attack. Women are also more likely than men to report having
arthritis, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and depression. Health care disparities among minority and poor
women are especially pervasive.
WOMEN