Presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Friday detailed the executive orders she plans to implement to boost wages for women of color if she’s elected.
The proposal aims to address the economic hardships of black, Latina, Native American and Asian women, the Massachusetts Democrat says, writing in a Medium post introducing the plan Friday morning that the government “has helped perpetuate the systemic discrimination” that women of color face.
“It’s time for the government to try to right those wrongs — and boost our economy in the process,” Warren wrote.
The multi-pronged plan outlines a range of executive actions that include broad “historic” new requirements of federal contractors, increased diversity initiatives within the senior ranks of the federal government and targeted enforcement against that “systemic discrimination.”
“Companies with federal contracts employ roughly a quarter of the US workforce. By imposing new rules on companies that hope to receive federal contracts, we can take a big step towards creating equal opportunities for Black, Latina, Native American, Asian and other women of color,” the plan says.
Warren adds that she would target sectors with higher rates of discriminatory practices by directing the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission “to more closely monitor these fields” as well as “bring in top talent to enforce claims in those areas.”
The plan also would address what the candidate calls “dismal” efforts on diversity and inclusion within the federal government.
“If we’re going to demand more of the private sector, we should demand more of the federal government too,” she writes.
Warren, wholaunched her presidential campaign in February, has seen steep gains in her polling in recent weeks built on her performance during the first round of Democratic debates last week and her campaign’s continuous rollout of populist-driven policies.
“It’s time to build an America that recognizes the role that women of color play in their families and in the economy,” Warren writes,”that fairly values their work, and that delivers equal opportunity for everyone.”
