Political Quotes

“I appreciate my good friend from Colorado yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act. Last year, 58 percent of the college graduates in this country were women. Right now in this country, over 50 percent of the individuals that have college degrees are women, and last year in corporate America, 53 percent of new hires for positions that required a college degree were given to women. This reflects broad, gender-based parity with respect to universities and with respect to entry-level positions in corporate America. However, Mr. Speaker, when we look at what's going on with respect to advancement--in other words, women's ability to climb or ascend the corporate ladder--we see a very different story emerging. Even though 50 percent of the workers with college degrees in corporate America are women, when it came to promotions for managers, only 37 percent of those went to women. When it came to promotions for vice presidents, only 25 percent went to women. And when it came to promotions towards the executive committee level or the C-suite, if you will, only 15 percent went to women. This reflects a significant talent drain that occurs with respect to women as they advance in corporate America. Mr. Speaker, this is a very significant problem for this country and for every American. It's a problem if you care about our economy.…”