She will always put families first: Gillibrand

As president of the United States, she (Hillary Clinton) will bring our workplace policies out of the Dark Ages, and always, always, put families first. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

SOME PEOPLE KNOW me as a United States Senator from New York, but during school drop-off and pick-up, I’m better known as Theo and Henry’s mom. Like most working parents, my husband and I juggle a lot. We’re fortunate to have flexibility, but some days, we still barely keep it together.

The vast majority of working parents have it much tougher. They’re struggling with too little time, too little money, and too little support. And Washington hasn’t caught up to their reality. Families today look almost nothing like they did a generation ago. Eight in 10 moms work outside of the home. Four in 10 moms are the primary or sole breadwinners, and many are single. Thanks to marriage equality, more children grow up with two moms or two dads. And yet, today, our policies are stuck in the ‘Mad Men’ era.

We’re the only industrialised nation that doesn’t guarantee workers paid family leave. Many women can’t even get a paid day off to give birth. Most parents work outside the home, yet child care can cost as much as college tuition. Families rely on women’s income, but we still don’t have equal pay for equal work. This makes no sense, because we know that when families are strong, America is strong.

Hillary Clinton gets it — not just because she’s a working mother, and Charlotte and Aidan’s grandmother, but because for her, it’s about her core values, the idea that we have a responsibility to one another. It’s about who we are as a nation.

It’s why after law school, she could have gone to a fancy law firm — but she chose to work at the Children’s Defense Fund, where she advocated for children with disabilities.

It’s why as America’s first lady she helped create a health insurance programme for children so that eight million kids could get the care they need.

It’s why as secretary of state, she helped women and children to escape violence and poverty — to attend schools, support their families, and reinvest in their communities.

And it’s why as president of the United States, she will bring our workplace policies out of the Dark Ages, and always, always, put families first.