Feisty Aphrodite Archives
Rough Economy Leaves Women Looking Out for Number One
The following is from the article written by Sharon Johnson, published by Women's eNews:
Following Sen. Barack Obama's June 3 victory in the Democratic delegate race, Sen. Hillary Clinton's supporters--some of whom are vowing to defect to Republican Sen. John McCain after a bitter primary battle--are being thrust into the election-year spotlight.
"If these women stay home or vote for McCain in Ohio, Pennsylvania and other hotly contested states, Democrats' chances of winning the White House will decrease," said Susan J. Carroll, distinguished scholar of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.
And as these and other women come under more media scrutiny they are expected to intensify public attention to the economic programs that each party offers to address their immediate financial concerns: from pay equity to stemming foreclosures to extending jobless benefits.
Just ask Valerie Reeder, a 52-year-old single mother, who recently lost her job as a loan clerk at a Chester, Penn., bank.
In previous presidential races, the high school graduate said she was too busy working and raising her daughter to pay attention. But this year, she is keeping close watch.
"For me, the economy is the No. 1 issue," said Reeder. "The candidate who comes up with the best plan to help women who are struggling financially will get my vote. Jobs are scarce; I won't be able to send my daughter to college this fall if I don't land a new position soon. I have no health insurance and may have to spend my savings for retirement on food and other basic necessities."
With unemployment benefits and paychecks stretched thin by a rising global oil market that has doubled gasoline prices from a year ago, Washington Post surveys show that over half of primary voters said the economy was the most critical problem facing the nation.
Pollster Celinda Lake says women are at the forefront of that trend.
"Women turned against the war before men and began concentrating on the economy early this year when they noticed that the cost of everyday items like food and gasoline were going up," said Lake, president of Washignton-based Lake Research Partners. "If unemployment increases this summer, economic issues will become even more important in the November election."
Heidi Hartmann, president of the Washington-based Institute for Women's Policy Research, gives the Democrats an edge with women who cite the economy as the No. 1 issue. "The party in power gets blamed for the loss of jobs and higher prices," she said. "Jobs didn't come back after the 2001 recession, deregulation produced the sub-prime mortgage crisis and CEOs are paid millions while the wages of workers are squeezed."
Obama has steadily reminded voters that he was raised by a single mother who at one point relied on food stamps.
Obama has also appealed to female voters by emphasizing support for pay equity. Unlike McCain, Obama voted for a Senate bill to make it easier for women to sue employers for sexual discrimination in wages.
Financially pressed women, however, can't be taken for granted by the Democrats because studies show those who have experienced economic hardship are less likely to vote.
In April, the U.S. economy lost 20,000 jobs, the fourth consecutive month for a decline of 260,000 jobs since December. The unemployment rate of women was 4.3 percent compared to 4.6 percent for men.
Read the entire article here.
