Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: "The key to building our economy is women"
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, spoke to a packed room at Syracuse University's Maxwell School today about her ideas to improve life for women and families.
- "The key to building our economy is women," Gillibrand said. In 40 percent of families, women are the primary breadwinner.
- For the cost of a cup of coffee a week, about $1.75 for a woman in a low-wage job, women could get paid maternity leave for three months. (There would also be paid family leave for men and women in other circumstances under the proposal). Gillibrand's proposal would be funded similar to Social Security, through employer and employee contributions of .2 percent each taken directly from paychecks.
- Where don't they have paid maternity leave, aside from the U.S.? "Places like Papua New Guinea," Gillibrand said, grimacing.
- In New York, the average family spends $10,000 a year on daycare. That's out of reach for families where a single parent earning minimum wage brings in an income of $15,000. Many families turn to substandard, cheaper care.
- Gillibrand said she would like to see full-day universal prekindergarten for all children. For every $1 spent on such a program, there is an $11 return over a child's lifetime, she said. "The block that you are born on should not determine your path in life," she said.
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/01/paid_maternity_leave_for_the_175_a_week_five_things_us_sen_kirsten_gillibrand_sa.html
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