During Tuesday night’s State of the Union, President Obama called on Congress to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 per hour. Not only is the proposal potentially good for business, but, according to a report released Wednesday from the Center for American Progress Action Fund, raising the minimum wage would also be a pillar for women’s rights. Here’s why, in three charts:
Arguments against the minimum wage — made, within hours of Obama’s speech, by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) — are predicated on the idea that it would weaken job growth or ruin the economy. In fact, studies show the opposite: that it would strengthen job creation, particularly when unemployment is high, as it is now.