The Obama Diary

President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the White House Summit on Working Families at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington. President Obama, as part of efforts to make the U.S. workplace more accommodating for employees with families, will on Monday direct federal agencies to step up efforts to give workers more leeway in determining their schedules.

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"When women succeed, America succeeds, so there's no such thing as a 'women's issue.'" —Obama #FamiliesSucceed http://t.co/Sxoy8D1PAb

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 23, 2025

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More women are breadwinners in US households. It's time for workplace policies that match. #FamiliesSucceed http://t.co/ySj0Mt6t8X

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US Labor Department (@USDOL) June 23, 2025

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President Barack Obama is introduced by Lisa Rumain of Martinsville, N.J., at The White House Summit on Working Families

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WorkingFamiliesSummit.Org

On average, women are still paid less than men for doing the same work. It's time to change that → WorkingFamiliesSummit.org #FamiliesSucceed

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 23, 2025

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Christina Hendricks knows the 9 facts about families and work, you should too #FamiliesSucceed whitehouse.gov/sites/default/… http://t.co/ychpjsYiPc

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Betsey Stevenson (@CEABetsey) June 23, 2025

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President Barack Obama sits with, from left, Mark Weinberger, Ernst & Young, Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson and Johnson, Shelia Marcello, CEO of Care.com, Debra Lee, Chairman and CEO of BET Networks, and Dave Lissy from Bright Horizons during their meeting at the White House Summit on Working Families

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Marlei Martinez: Obama Seeks ‘Good, Strong, Healthy Families’

President Barack Obama is encouraging Congress and the country to focus on issues here at home — namely how to improve the livelihoods of working families.Here are the five things we learned from our sitdown with the President: 1. The goal of the summit is … “… to lift up the conversation that everybody is already having individually and let people know you’re not alone out here,” Obama said. Priority one: Paid family leave According to a survey from the United Nations’ labor agency, of the 185 countries and territories with readily available information, only three do not provide paid maternity leave. And, you guessed it, the United States made that list. The other two countries are Oman and Papua New Guinea. “Paid family leave, we’re the only advanced country on Earth that doesn’t have it,” the President said. “It doesn’t make any sense. There are a lot of countries that are a lot poorer than we are that also have it.”

"I take this personally because I’m the husband of a brilliant woman who struggled to balance work and raising our girls." —President Obama

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The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 23, 2025

Priority two: Workplace flexibility The President said he’s pushing for workplace flexibility to give parents the opportunity to become more involved in their children’s lives and education. “We always say that we want parents involved in our kids’ education,” he said. “There are millions of families out there who can’t even imagine taking time off to go to a parent-teacher conference.” This type of workplace flexibility is a practice that he and the first lady believe will improve employee morale and motivation. Priority three: Child care. “We don’t do a very good job providing high-quality, affordable child care, and there are a lot of countries, a lot of our competitors do it,” Obama told Bolduan. “That means that it’s a lot easier for women to be in the workforce and not have to make choices that ultimately mean they’re, in some cases, getting paid less or having less opportunities. And it also means, by the way, that our kids are more likely to thrive.” Add to that list: Equal pay for equal work.

More here

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President Barack Obama mimics someone handing him a baby

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President Barack Obama walks down Calvert Street NW to have lunch at a Chipotle Mexican Grill in Washington, before they attended the White House Summit on Working Families. Walking with President Obama, from second from left are, Shirley Young, Shelby Ramirez, Lisa Rumain, and Rodger Trombley

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President Barack Obama with Shelby Ramirez

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Robin Roberts and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House Summit on Working Families

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