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Today more women than ever work outside the home and contribute to the
economic security of their families. Yet, women can face significant challenges
in the workplace -- they are more likely to rely on minimum wage work; they too
often are paid less than men for the same work; they may have difficulty
gaining access to credit to start small businesses; and, while they live longer
than men, they reach retirement with smaller pensions and other assets.
As First Lady, Mrs. Clinton has championed efforts to help ensure the
economic security of women and their families. For example, she has advocated
access to microcredit -- small loans made to non-traditional borrowers -- to
enable thousands of American women to start their own small businesses. Mrs.
Clinton also has supported the Administration's efforts to increase the
minimum wage, promote equal pay laws, and fund legal services for low-income
families. She has worked to ensure that bankruptcy reform does not adversely
impact women and families, particularly in terms of child support collection.
In the Social Security debate she has focused her attention on ensuring that
the features of Social Security that are important to women are preserved and
strengthened.
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