Click on the audio player above to hear this interview.
The Obama Administration issued an executive order on Thursday that aims to shut the gender wage gap. This issue has been a presidential priority for Obama since he took office in 2009 and signed his first piece of legislation: The Lilly Ledbetter just Pay Act.
The executive order requires companies with 100 employees or more to report salary information by gender,race and ethnicity to the federal government. About 63 million Americans will be covered by the new rule.
The president's executive order comes just as the Pentagon is shaking up its family leave policy.“Offering a more generous standard for maternity leave is vital for attracting and retaining talent," Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Thursday. "We see the same phenomenon, or year after year—women at peak ages for starting a family leave the military at the highest rates.”Now,all female troops will derive 12 weeks of maternity leave—a move that affects up to 200000 women.
Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich has the details on the president's new executive order.
Source: wnyc.org