The U.S. is the only developed country in the world that does not have a national paid leave policy, and around 40 million Americans do not get paid sick days.
Those are just a few of the issues that are hindering gender equality in the workplace, according to Valerie Jarrett, former senior adviser to President Obama.
“Women are graduating from college at higher rates, and graduate schools at even higher rates, than men. So the pipeline [of qualified employees] is there,” Jarrett told Cheddar in an interview at SXSW in Austin, Tex.
“We just have to make sure that the pipeline continues into the workplace and up to the highest level within organizations. There is a glass ceiling there.”
Since leaving the White House, Jarrett is now focused on tackling these issues, and she’s drawing from her own experiences to do it.
“Part of it is my life experience as a single mom trying to balance my responsibilities in a pretty high-powered career with the most important thing to me, which is to be a good mother,” Jarrett revealed.
“That experience really informed a lot of the work that I did at the White House...and the work that I’m doing going forward.”
The Democrat supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, but despite her loss Jarrett is optimistic that things can still change. She believes in encouraging culture changes at the top of companies and actions at the state level.
“There’s so much that we can do that doesn’t involve the federal government,” said Jarrett. “States and private employers around the country, cities, are now passing...important laws.”
“We need to recognize that our voices are going to offer a different perspective and that’s important. You make better decisions when you’re talking to people who see the world from a different lens.”
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/valerie-jarretts-next-act).
Four men were charged Monday over the theft of an 18-carat gold toilet from Blenheim Palace, the sprawling English country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born.
Donald Trump began testifying Monday morning in his civil fraud trial, producing the spectacle of a former president and the leading Republican presidential candidate defending himself against allegations that he dramatically inflated his net worth.
The most-watched races in Tuesday’s off-year general election have all been dominated by the ongoing debate over abortion rights.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is reportedly planning to endorse Florida Gov. Ron Desantis in the Republican primary.
The endorsement could give DeSantis' campaign a boost as he struggles to show progress against Donald Trump in the Republican primary.
With Donald Trump due on the witness stand next week, testimony from his adult sons in his civil business fraud trial wrapped up Friday with Eric Trump saying he relied completely on accountants and lawyers to assure the accuracy of financial documents key to the case.
The watchdog office overseeing the National Science Foundation is sending investigators to Antarctica's McMurdo Station after hearing concerns about the prevalence of sexual violence at the U.S. research base.
Frederico Klein, a former State Department official, was sentenced to nearly six years in prison after being found guilty on several counts including assault of multiple police officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
President Joe Biden and First lady Jill Biden are traveling to Lewiston Maine to pay their respects to the people who were killed there in a mass shooting last week.
The House approved a nearly $14.5 billion military aid package Thursday for Israel, a muscular U.S. response to the war with Hamas but also a partisan approach by new Speaker Mike Johnson that poses a direct challenge to Democrats and President Joe Biden.
