President Obama is taking part in the first White House summit conference dedicated to the rights of working families, which is being held Monday throughout the entire day.
Obama believes the main reason that paid family leave has yet to be a federal law is due to one political party that rejects a lot of the bills proposed. He hopes that this conference will shed the issue in a new light and demonstrate that it is not a political issue, but an issue that affects every American, he told a CBS reporter.
Obama also emphasized that the majority of countries around the world have already adopted the policies he is addressing. According to The Associated Press, Obama stressed in a weekly address that the U.S. is one of only three countries in the world that don’t offer paid maternity leave. He also noted that while some states have adopted policies to provide paid family leave, it should be something that every working American is entitled to.
The White House is also promoting the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, an act that will make it mandatory for employers to accommodate those who are dealing with pregnancy or face other similar limitations. The act would also protect women from employers that may try to force women who are capable of working with accommodations from taking unpaid or paid leave, CBS News noted.
Other issues will also be discussed at the Summit such as the gender pay gap and motivating private companies to better accommodate working familes.