Obama's Weekly Address WEEKLY ADDRESS: It’s Time to Help Women and Working Families

奧巴馬每周電視講話:總統呼吁幫助婦女和工薪家庭

Hi, everybody.

大家好！

On Friday, I had a discussion with working women in Rhode Island about the economic challenges they face in their own lives-challenges shared by many of you.

周五，我在羅德島與當地的女職工討論了她們生活中所面臨的經濟困難，這些困難也是大家所面臨的。

Thanks to the work we've all put in, our economy has come a long way these past six years.

由于我們采取的措施，全國經濟在過去6年里取得了長足的進步。

Over the past 55 months, our businesses have added 10.3 million new jobs.

過去的55個月，私營企業共新增1030萬個就業崗位。

For the first time in six years, the unemployment rate is below 6 percent.

6年來，我們的失業率第一次降低到6個百分點以下。

And on Thursday, we learned that over the past six months, our economy has grown at its fastest pace since 2003.

周三，統計數據顯示，過去6個月，我們的經濟發展速度是自2003年以來最快的。

But the gains of a growing economy aren't yet felt by everyone.

但并不是每個人都能切身體會到經濟不斷發展所取得的成果。

So we've got to harness this momentum, and make the right choices so that everyone who works hard can get ahead.

因此，我們需要增強經濟發展動力，做出正確的決策，讓每個勞動者都能取得進步。

In recent weeks, I've talked about these choices, from raising the minimum wage to creating new jobs in construction and manufacturing.

最近幾個星期，我一直在談論這些選擇，從提高最低工資標準到通過基礎設施建設和制造業創造就業。

Today, I want to focus on what I discussed with those women-the choices we need to make to help more women get ahead in today's economy.

今天，我想重點關注前幾天我與那些女職工們討論的話題，為幫助更多女性在當今的經濟發展中進步，我們所需要采取的措施。

Right now, women make up almost half of our workers.

現在，婦女約占到我們勞動力總數的一半。

More women are their family's main breadwinner than ever before.

更多的女性正在成為家庭的主要經濟支柱。

So the simple truth is, when women succeed, America succeeds.

因此，實際情況就是，如果女性成功了，美國也就成功了。

And we should be choosing policies that benefit women-because that benefits all of us.

我們應該選擇有利于女性發展的政策，因為這將有利于所有人。

Women deserve fair pay.

女性應該獲得公平的工資待遇。

Even though it's 2014, there are women still earning less than men for doing the same work.

即便是在2014年的今天，依然還有很多女性與男性做著同樣的工作卻沒有男性掙得多。

We don't have second-class citizens in this country-we shouldn't in the workplace, either.

我們的國家沒有二等公民，在工作上，我們也不應該有。

So let's make sure women earn equal pay for equal work, and have a fair shot at success.

因此，我們要確保女性與男性同工同酬，有公平的機會獲得成功。

Women deserve to be able to take time off to care for a new baby, an ailing parent, or take a sick day for themselves without running into hardship.

女性應該有時間去照料新生嬰兒，生病的父母，自己生病了應該有病假，不能因為這些讓她們陷入困境。

So let's make sure all Americans have access to paid family leave.

我們應該確保所有美國人都可以享受探親假。

Pregnant workers deserve to be treated fairly.

懷孕的員工應該得到公平的對待。

Even today, women can be fired for taking too many bathroom breaks, or forced on unpaid leave just for being pregnant.

即便在今天，女性仍有可能因為需要很長的哺乳期而被解雇，或者因為懷孕而被強制停薪休假。

That's wrong-and we have to choose policies that ensure pregnant workers are treated with dignity and respect.

這不正常，我們應該實施恰當的政策，保證懷孕的員工的尊嚴，尊重她們的權利。

New parents deserve quality, affordable childcare.

初為父母，撫養孩子，這些都應該得到保障，成本應該得到控制。

There's nothing like the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your kids are safe while you're at work.

這不僅僅是你在上班的時候知道你的孩子很安全這樣簡單的心理上的平靜。

And the benefits that children get out of early enrichment can pay off for a lifetime.

而是孩子應該得到高質量的早期教育讓他們能受益終身。

But in many states, sending your kid to daycare costs more than sending them to a public university. So let's start demanding Pre-K for our kids.

但在很多州，把孩子送到托兒所比上大學花的錢還要多。為了孩子，我們應該對早期教育提出要求。

And when most low-wage workers are women, but Congress hasn't passed a minimum wage increase in seven years, it's long past time that women deserve a raise.

由于大部分的低工資勞動者都是女性，但國會在過去的七年里卻從來不通過提高最低工資標準的法案，女性需要提高工資，她們等的時間太久了。

About 28 million workers would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage to ten dollars and ten cents an hour.

將最低工資標準提高到10.10美元每小時將使2800萬勞動者受益。

And more than half of those workers are women.

其中有一大半是女性。

The local businesses where these workers spend their money would benefit, too.

地方的企業也將因這些勞動者有更多可支配收入而受益。

So let's do this-let's give America a raise.

讓我們開始行動，提高美國的工資標準。

All of these policies are common sense.

所有這些都是基本的常規政策。

All of them are within our reach.

所有這些都是我們可以做到的。

We've just got to speak up and choose them.

我們要站出來，說出來，堅定支持實施這些政策。

Because they'll build a stronger America for all of us.

這些政策的實施將為我們建設一個更強大的美國。

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

謝謝大家，周末愉快！

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