Summary: In his State of the Union speech, President Obama referred to "workplace policies that belong in a 'Mad Men' episode." Betsy Reed, executive editor of The Nation, discusses his appeal for women's wage equity and what policy proposals come next. Today, women make up about half our workforce. But they still make 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. That is wrong, and in 2014, it’s an embarrassment. A woman deserves equal pay for equal work. She deserves to have a baby without sacrificing her job. A mother deserves a day off to care for a sick child or sick parent without running into hardship – and you know what, a father does, too. It’s time to do away with workplace policies that belong in a “Mad Men” episode. This year, let’s all come together – Congress, the White House, and businesses from Wall Street to Main Street – to give every woman the opportunity she deserves. Because I firmly believe when women succeed, America succeeds. -- President Obama from the 2014 State of the Union
