Barack Obama stressed the need for equal pay and child care as he campaigned Thursday with his half-sister and the pioneering former first lady he toppled during the Democratic presidential primary.

“As the son, grandson and husband of hardworking mothers, I don’t accept an America that makes women choose between their kids and their careers,” the likely Democratic nominee said at a “Women for Obama” breakfast fundraiser. “Let’s be clear. These issues _ equal pay, work-family balance, child care _ these are not simply women’s issues.”

On stage with him, rival-turned-ally Hillary Rodham Clinton said, “I’m grateful for all of you who have come together ... I know you’ll be there in November.”

The day’s female-focused events were a reminder of Obama’s need to win over disaffected Democratic women, some still smarting from Clinton’s loss. She had tried to become the first woman to win the White House, and women were her base voters. They took her defeat hard, so much so that some are even promising to vote for Republican John McCain.

Obama is making a concerted effort to reach out to women. He started his day at the fundraiser with Clinton _ their second joint fundraising appearance in as many days _ and with his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng. Some 2,300 people, mostly women, dined on fresh fruit and pastries at a Manhattan hotel ballroom.

Clinton, noting that Obama had mentioned that she looked rested after being off the rigorous campaign trail, said she’s trying to exercise now and compared her habits with Obama’s during the primary season. “Barack would get up faithfully every morning and go to the gym. I would get up and have my hair done,” she quipped.

Earlier, as she introduced Obama and Clinton, Soetoro-Ng said, “Barack does have a lot of strong women in his life and we don’t let him forget it.”

In the afternoon, Obama was scheduled to hold a town-hall event in Fairfax, Va., on his economic plan and how it would help women and all parents balance work and family demands. Virginia first lady Anne Holton planned to introduce Obama.