U.S. Department of Labor |
For Immediate Release |
US Labor Department’s Women Bureau announces initiatives
as part of White House Middle Class Task Force forum
Initiatives enhance work/life balance data and wage discrimination enforcement
WASHINGTON – Today, at a White House Middle Class Task Force forum hosted by Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced several initiatives from the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau designed to end wage discrimination while improving pay equity and work/life balance.
The Women’s Bureau will underscore the enforcement activities of the Labor and Justice Departments, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, by launching a series of new public education efforts. These will include an Equal Pay Checklist, a revamped Equal Pay Employer Self-Audit tool, and an Equal Pay Research Summit.
“Pay equity is a core family issue,” said Secretary Solis. “More money in a woman’s paycheck means a working family not having to choose between paying the mortgage, buying groceries, or buying necessary school supplies.”
The Women’s Bureau also intends to sponsor a supplement to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey in 2011. This addition will gather more information on parental leave, child care, family leave insurance program usage, and other issues related to the intersection of work and family responsibilities.
“Work-life balance, including flexible workplace polices, is not just a women’s issue, it’s a necessity for all working families,” said Women’s Bureau Director Sara Manzano-Diaz. “Ensuring that our nation’s workers are able to balance their home lives without fear of job security is critical to our economic success as a country.”
In collaboration with the White House Council on Women and Girls, the Women’s Bureau will also build on the White House’s Flexibility Forum by hosting a series of “National Dialogue on Workplace Flexibility” forums in Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and other locations during 2010 and 2011. In addition to providing a platform for diverse stakeholders, the Women’s Bureau will use the National Dialogue to gather information and promote best practices for workplace flexibility.
For more information on these initiatives and other Women’s Bureau efforts addressing work/family balance, visit http://www.dol.gov/dol/workplaceflexibility. For more information on the Middle Class Task Force work and family event, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/vice-president-biden-holds-middle-class-task-force-event-work-and-family.
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