McCain, competing for supporters of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton who may be angry or disappointed at her failed bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, said women had come a long way in many fields but still lagged in several areas.

"Women have made enormous progress in recent years, whether it be in politics, whether it be in business," he said.

"(But) we have not done enough. And I'm committed to making sure that there's equal pay for equal work," he told a crowd consisting mostly of women, adding his record reflected his commitment on the subject.

Both Obama and McCain are pushing hard for support from women. Opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 4 election give Obama a substantial lead over McCain among women voters.

Obama and Clinton held a fundraising breakfast targeted at women on Thursday. Later, the Democratic presidential candidate promised to expand a child-care tax credit to an additional 7.5 million working women, invest in early childhood education and expand family and medical leave.

McCain, while acknowledging Obama's concern for women's issues, assailed the Illinois senator for policies he said would be harmful.

"My opponent was saying all the right things," the Arizona senator said.

"The fact is this: when you cut through all the smooth rhetoric, Senator Obama's policies would make it harder for women to start new businesses, harder for women to create or find new jobs, harder for women to manage the family budget, and harder for women and their families to meet their tax burden."