By Maggie Rodriguez
Staff Writer

On Jan. 28, President Barack Obama delivered the State of the Union to a bilateral congress and an eager audience.
During the hour-and-a-half speech he brought forth several topics, from the recalibration of taxes and bolstering education, to equal opportunity pay for women and raising the minimum wage.
Obama said he has “belief in opportunity for all, the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead in America.”
However that’s not the case for women in the work field. As Obama stated, women make up 50 percent of the workforce, yet they still only make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes.
Business major Yesenia Corona, 22, commends Obama for taking a stance and sticking through with it.
“Men underestimate us,” Corona said. “There’s no reason why as a woman, I should be paid less when I’m just as able and hard-working as any man is. Case in point, GM’s new CEO, is making less than half of what her male predecessor did.”
Corona is referring to General Motors CEO, Mary Barra. Last December it was announced she would be the company’s first female CEO. But being CEO of a major company doesn’t mean she can escape the conundrum of the glass ceiling
According to MSNBC.com, Barra’s current pay is only 48 percent of what her male predecessor use to make. While Dan Akerson made $9.1 million,
Barra is making $4.4 million. In fact, Barra was paid more when she was GM’s senior vice president of global product development.
“It’s wrong and it’s frustrating,” added Corona.
Maria Martinez, a 21-year-old psychology major and mother of one, said that she’s glad to hear Obama was shining light on women in the workplace.
“I had to quit my job because I couldn’t afford to miss days after my son got sick. I feel as though companies look at me as a liability because I’m a woman and because I’m a mom,” said Martinez.
This is also something the president tackled in this speech, adding that woman should be able to have a “baby without sacrificing [ their] job …. without running into hardship,” said Obama.
Obama’s fight against the discrimination of women in the workforce is nothing new. One of the first bills the president signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009. The act ensures women have the tools they need to fight for equal pay for equal work.
For Martinez, this brings hope. Hope that she won’t have to decide between being a caring mother or working in order to provide for her son.
“I felt as though the president was not only talking to me, but about me and for me,” said Martinez.