To: Interested Parties From: Page Gardner, President of Women s Voices. Women Vote RE: Communications Guide on How to Engage the Rising American Electorate Anger. Anxiety. Apathy. All of these emotions are in play this election cycle and will affect turnout. But you can, too. If you make the effort to connect with voters where they live, speak to them about issues that affect their daily lives and give them a stake in this midterm election. This communications guide from Women s Voters. Women s Voices (WVWV) and attached issue papers from the National Women s Law Center (NWLC) are designed to help you engage and mobilize unmarried women, people of color and young voters on issues they care about, in language they use. These fast-growing demographic groups now make up the majority (52%) of eligible voters and together they comprise the Rising American Electorate (RAE). Despite their size, the RAE continues to be underrepresented in our democracy. And this problem is expected to worsen this year. These voters turned out in record numbers in 2008, but their drop-off rate is expected to be twice that of other voters this cycle. We ask you to use this research-driven guidebook to help you make your case to these voters, encourage their participation in this year s election and ensure our democracy reflect s the values, voices and addresses the needs of the majority of Americans. Women s Voices. Women Vote and the National Women s Law Center are non-profit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organizations. The materials contained herein are designed to educate and inform and are not an endorsement of any candidate or party.
How to Engage and Motivate Voters in the Rising American Electorate Introduction Historically, there is always a drop off in the number of voters between a presidential election and the midterm elections. But 2010 is especially challenging, given the state of the economy, the fact the United States is engaged in two wars, and approval ratings for Congress are at an all-time low. And right now the biggest demographic groups in the country are not planning to vote this November, a fact that threatens our democracy and our progress in helping the underrepresented segments of our population. But don t throw the towel in yet. There is a group of voters who will turn out if you make the effort and know how to connect with their lives. This handbook was designed to help you do that. 1 A New Majority Unmarried women, people of color and young people under thirty are now the majority of eligible voters in America. Their numbers and their political power are growing. In 2006, these overwhelmingly progressive, hard-to-reach voters who make up the Rising American Electorate (RAE) changed a Congress. In 2008, they changed the country. They turned out to vote in unprecedented numbers in the last election, continuing a longterm trend of improving participation in our democracy. But that progress is at risk this year. Based on historic patterns and census data, Women s Voices. Women Vote (WVWV) the nonpartisan nonprofit that first identified the RAE and the marriage gap projects the 2010 drop off rate of unmarried women and the other groups in the RAE will be double the rate of other voters (37 percent to 18.5 percent). Current polling among these voters consistently shows less interest in voting this year than is the case among other groups. 1 Women s Voices. Women Vote has prepared this guide in furtherance of its 501(c)(3) mission of educating underrepresented segments of the American electorate about the importance of voting and how to vote. WVWV is also committed to undertaking research on the methods that are most likely to encourage these Americans to register and turn out to vote in order to make sure everyone has a voice in our democracy. WVWV shares its research and guidance with groups that will help achieve this goal, regardless of partisan label.
Bridging the Enthusiasm Gap RAE voters are significantly less engaged than other voters and the margins they provided candidates who share their values in 2008 and even in 2006 are depressed this year too. But research done and programs run by WVWV confirm that RAE voters can be reached and motivated by candidates and organizations who know how to connect to their lives and understand the unique challenges they face in today s America and today s economy. To help you understand the pivotal role these voters could play in 2010 -- when even marginal differences in who does and does not turn out in 2010 are more important than ever -- and what issues and language will re-engage and re-invest them in these elections, WVWV has prepared this handbook based on focus group and survey research conducted by Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research. 2 Increasing participation of the RAE in our democracy this year and beyond are essential to building an infrastructure of reliable voters and ensuring our government actually represents the values and needs of the majority of our citizens. Who is the Rising American Electorate? For the first time in American history the democratic majority is made up of traditionally underrepresented groups. Unmarried women, people of color (including African Americans and Latinos), and young people (aged 18 through 29) now constitute the majority, 52 percent, of all adults who can vote, and 62 percent of people eligible but still not registered to vote. These groups make up the Rising American Electorate (RAE), and even though they represent the majority, their low levels of participation leave them underrepresented in our democracy. Collectively, they represented only 47 percent of the electorate in 2008. Unmarried Women and the Marriage Gap Unmarried women are the key to the Rising American Electorate. There has been a little-noted but enormous demographic change in America since 1960. Fifty years ago, America was a nation of married couples. Just a 2 This research commissioned by Women's Voices. Women Vote represents both qualitative (focus group) research, as well as qualitative findings from a recent Democracy Corps survey. The groups were conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research in three different cities (Cleveland, OH, Albuquerque, NM, and Philadelphia, PA). These groups were conducted between July 20-26, 2010. The Democracy Corps survey was taken from August 30 September 2, 2010.
generation ago, the most common kind of family was a male breadwinner and a stay-at-home mom. No more, according to Census data: Today, that description applies to only one-in-five families Unmarried women now account for a quarter of all adults. Today, almost half of all women are unmarried widowed, divorced, separated, or never married. Economically, many unmarried women live on the margins: Unmarried women earn 56 cents for each dollar earned by married men. Among all unemployed women 64 percent are unmarried. Their 11.9 percent average unemployment rate is nearly double the rate for married women (6.6 percent). 3 One in five unmarried women is a single mother. The Great Recession has hit unmarried women especially hard and changed their lives and prospects: As unemployment has risen for unmarried women, employment has fallen. While 56.9 percent of all unmarried women were employed on average in 2007, that figure had fallen to 53.5 percent by April 2010. In April, 2010 more than four in ten unmarried women (age 16 and over) who were unemployed had been looking for a job for at least six months. 4 3 Bureau of Labor Statistics Data for August 2010 4 Great Recession data from The Other Half: Unmarried Women, Economic Well-Being and the Great Recession, available at http://www.wvwv.org/assets/2010/8/13/the-other-half-report_2010.pdf
These changing demographics have also changed the make-up of the electorate. Marital status is not just defining economically or culturally. The marriage gap between unmarried women and married women is one of the most important determinants of whether one registers or votes. Traditionally, unmarried women are less likely to register and vote than married women. They also support progressive candidates by enormous margins. In fact, in 2008, the marriage gap was 44 points, with unmarried women giving President Obama a 41- percentage point margin and married women supporting Senator McCain by three points. The marriage gap holds true across all demographics- young, old, with children or without, of color or white. This marriage gap also holds true across geographic regions urban, rural, exurban. In addition to being the fastest growing large demographic group in America, unmarried women are the key to reaching other politically under-participating, underrepresented groups. They are the largest segment and the primary driver of the Rising American Electorate (RAE).Unmarried women make up a disproportionate percentage of each of these constituencies. And where they overlap, which is substantial, is also where they outperform. For example: Of the 2.3 million new young voters in 2008, 46 percent of them were unmarried women, even though they make up only 38 percent of all young people between the ages of 18-29. Of the two million new African American voters, 40 percent of them were unmarried women, even though they make up just 39 percent of the African American population. And of the 2.2 million new Latino voters in 2008, 30 percent of them were unmarried women despite being 27 percent of the overall Latino population. Today s young people (aged 18-29) have also reached a milestone, now numbering more than the baby boom generation. Latinos continue to grow as a share of the voting population, and black political participation has also increased.
What Makes RAE Voters So Important in 2010? RAE voters turned out in historic proportions in 2008: 61 million members of the Rising American Electorate turned out many of them voting for the first time. The RAE accounted for 47 percent of all ballots cast. Unmarried women accounted for close to half --48 percent--of the overall increase in turnout in 2008 over 2004. In the 2008 presidential election, over 2.6 million more women voted than in 2004 and 7 million more than in 2000. To put these numbers in perspective, in 2006, the last mid-term election, the four closest Senate races were decided by an average of 20,000 votes, and the four closest gubernatorial races were decided by an average of about 15,000 votes. The 15 closest House races were decided by an average of about 2,000 votes each. But this year, when even an extremely small change in participation levels could affect control of Congress and state legislatures that will redraw congressional districts for the next decade, these voters are projected to stay home in the millions: Unmarried women make up nearly 25 percent of the voting eligible population. In 2008, they made up 23.22 percent of the electorate. Projections have 35.33 percent, or an estimated 10,758,899, of unmarried women who showed up in 2008 at home on Election Day 2010. Youth make up 22.3 percent of the voter eligible population. In 2008, they made up 17 percent of the electorate; in 2010 they are expected to make up 11 percent. The youth vote is expected to drop off 52.77 percent between 2008 and 2010 meaning 11,812,739 fewer youth voters showing up in November this year. Latinos comprise almost 9.5 percent of the voting eligible population, but in 2010 they are projected to comprise only 7.34 percent of the electorate. In 2010, Latino voters are expected to drop-off 34.5 percent, or by 3,360,724 voters. African Americans make up 12.1 percent of the voting eligible population. They are expected to experience a 36.7 percent drop-off (5,920,011) between 2008 and 2010.
Clearly, the old adage, every vote counts, has rarely been truer. And our research indicates these voters can be engaged and mobilized -- once their stake in this election is understood. How to Talk to the RAE In many ways, voters in the RAE are having a different conversation this election than are swing voters, political independents or Tea Party supporters. They are less angry. Their interest in this election is less political or partisan in nature. It is not about who runs what committee or what happens in Washington, D.C. It is not about the deficit. Rather, it is about things that happen directly in their lives like unemployment extensions, pre-existing conditions, raising the minimum wage, education and job training. Reaching these voters means meeting them where they live. It means translating policy and political messages into terms they can see, touch, and feel. For example, an economic stimulus package does not register with these voters; in our focus groups, many did not recall the stimulus even being passed. But they do remember taking advantage of the tax credits for buying energy efficient appliances. Similarly, participants who did not recognize candidates running for Senate knew that, on the day of the groups, the Senate passed an unemployment extension. A major step in improving both participation and the margin among these voters is injecting this election cycle with real consequences, not rhetorical or political terms and phrases. More than anything else, they need to see a visible, tangible stake or consequence in the outcome of the 2010 election. Voting can protect and promote an agenda that improves their lives. Not voting can mean an end to the progress that has or could be enacted to help them. When these stakes are made plain, their interest and intensity increases. Their participation and their margin for progressive candidates depend on it. Overarching frame: Times are tough and people need help The most successful framework for these voters employs a very straightforward premise: Times are tough and people need help.
For a population that is struggling disproportionately, the truth of this premise is hard to dispute. And these are voters who believe in the role government. Unlike many other voting blocs, they do not have the cushion of a second family income. The issues that motivate them are aspirational, not ideological. They are not interested in promoting an activist government for its own sake, but in a government that gives them, the most economically vulnerable people in the country, the tools they need to survive and to build a better life. Again this message, as the focus group results below confirm, needs real-life examples (e.g., minimum wage, job training, or cracking down on credit card companies) that relate to the reality of the lives of these voters. When focus group participants were asked what would motivate them to vote this November, the following two statements topped the list: Under current law, it is illegal for insurance companies to drop someone when they get sick or fail to provide coverage to someone with a pre-existing condition. Unless we make our voices heard, these protections will be at risk. Times are tough and people need help. Next year, federal and state government will be deciding on things that help struggling families, like extending unemployment benefits, pay equity for women, the minimum wage and access to quality daycare. The outcome of these decisions hinges on who is elected in 2010. Making RAE voters aware of the real world consequences of electing a new Congress that does not share their progressive values can also be a powerful motivator. In the focus groups, participants ranked their concerns: The new Congress will overturn the law that requires insurance companies to provide coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, prevents insurance companies from kicking people off their plan when they get sick and stops them from charging women higher premiums than men with the same coverage. The new Congress will go back to the policies of George W. Bush, the same policies that led us to record deficits, a collapsing economy and two wars without end. Talking to the RAE about Heath Care Properly presented, the health care issue is an extremely powerful motivator driving both RAE participation and preference. These voters indicate a favorable impression of health care reform overall (42 percent favorable, 36 percent unfavorable, compared to 61 percent unfavorable among non-rae voters) and health care emerges as the strongest positive argument tested in the September Democracy Corps survey. Not surprising considering RAE voters in this survey are more than twice as likely as other voters to have lost their health insurance in the last year. Health care reform has real traction among these voters when it is broken down in terms these voters can understand -- and that s by focusing preventing insurance companies from dropping coverage for people with preexisting conditions, kicking people off their plan when they get sick, or charging women higher premiums than men for the same coverage. RAE voters also like the fact that children could now be covered under their parents plan until age 26.
The specific provisions in health care tested powerfully as a positive and a negative these are advances the RAE does not want the next Congress to reverse. Talking to RAE about the Economy Like many other groups of voters, these respondents are struggling in the current economy. But the RAE is suffering disproportionately in the April Democracy Corps tracking survey, RAE voters were twice as likely as other voters to report a job loss within the last year. And unlike other people, many voters in the RAE are on their own and for many of them, the government is the only place where they can turn for help. In the April Democracy Corps poll, the survey found the economic vision of RAE voters to be significantly more progressive and activist than other voters:
Similarly, unlike other voters, RAE voters approach to the tax current debate keys in on the impact extending the Bush-era tax cut will have on investments. In the September Democracy Corps survey, RAE voters were much more focused on investments than other voters. And which of the following comes closest to your view about what should be done: Total Non- RAE RAE All the tax cuts should remain in place because raising taxes in a recession will kill the economy and any hope of jobs.... 43 34 49 Extend the middle class tax cuts in place for those making under 250 thousand dollars, but not for those making above so that money can be invested in new skills and industries to create jobs.... 41 48 36 All the tax cuts should be allowed to expire... 12 11 12 (Don t know/refused)... 5 7 3 The deficit is less of an issue for them. In the focus groups, this rarely came up, while in groups among swing voters this was a driving issue. Moreover, RAE voters are far more focused on investments right now than deficit reduction. Consider reactions to two statements in a July Democracy Corps survey. When asked to name two things that have been done to improve the economy that have had the greatest impact in their lives, the August focus group participants ranked them in this order:
Tax cuts for the middle class Cracking down on abuses by credit card companies More money for education and job training Making student loans more affordable Extended unemployment benefits Tax credits for first time homebuyers Talking to the RAE about Education and Job Training RAE voters see education and job training as more important than other voters. To them, education is not a matter of good public policy but the surest way they know to improve their lives and the futures of their children. RAE voters are more likely to believe a college degree is necessary to be financially comfortable these days and more likely to believe federal investments in education are important to improve the economy in the long-term. They are motivated by a progressive platform that calls for job training and money for job training, and more accessible and affordable college and college loans.
Don t talk to them in big picture terms about the passage of Health Care, Financial Reform, or the Stimulus Do deconstruct issues and arguments to demonstrate the impact on their lives. Defending health care reform is not the same as defending people with pre-existing conditions. o o o Health care is about getting rid of pre-existing conditions and disallowing gender bias in pricing. The Stimulus Package is about cash for clunkers and tax credits for new windows The Financial Reform bill is about preventing credit card companies from increasing your interest rates if you are an hour late in making a payment. o Do connect to them where they live. Did they get unemployment extensions? Did their father, sister or brother lose a job, is someone helping? These voters are not sold on slick presentations of the case. Just the facts, ma am approach and source everything. Give them a stake in the outcome of the 2010 election. When these stakes are made plain and the arguments connected to their daily lives, the research makes it clear more of these voters are likely to turn out. But first, you must make the effort to reach out and connect to them. How to Reach Unmarried Women One in seven unmarried women do not have a landline and are not listed in any phonebook. According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 16.4 percent of unmarried women rely entirely on a cell phone. When it comes to acquiring information on campaigns, unmarried women, like the rest of the electorate, depend on television. o Unmarried women got their campaign information from: o Television 79% o Newspapers 50% o Radio 42% o Internet 40% o Magazines 34% Seven out of ten unmarried women subscribe to cable and unmarried women are easier target through cable than other communications media. o o These cable channels are popular with unmarried women (not in rank order): MSNBC, CNN, USA, Lifetime, Bravo, the History Channel, the Comedy Channel, MTV, VHI, CW, Travel, Golf (believe it or not, a lot of women like the Golf Channel); ESPN 1 and 2, Nickelodeon, True, the Family Channel, A&E, Spike TV, E!; add BET for African-American viewers. If you are getting your message out on cable, you need to buy a variety of spots on a variety of channels, in order to get good "frequency." Cable viewers are channel surfers, so you need to be present a lot of different places. Focus on two specific sets of time slots: (1) Early morning time
slots, like 5-7, 6-9, or 7-10 time slots. These time slots are organized differently in each part of the country, but stay within that 5-10 am range. And (2) Evening / late night time slots, from 5 - midnight. This applies to all demographics. The internet is a fast-growing medium for political communication, but unmarried women are less likely than any other gender and marital status group to have internet access at home: o 66% of unmarried women have internet access at home o 82.1% of married women have internet access at home o While internet access at home is more limited for unmarried women, they are more than twice as likely to have a profile on a social networking site such as Facebook or MySpace: o o 47.7% of unmarried women have a profile on a social networking site 19.2% of married women have a profile on a social networking site Unmarried women are movers. About one in six unmarried women has lived in their current address less than a year; four in ten have moved in the last four years. Unmarried women are responsive to direct mail and want the time and opportunity to study the issues and the candidates that mail provides. About Women s Voices. Women Vote Women's Voices. Women Vote (WVWV) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to education and research regarding unmarried women and other historically underrepresented groups in the electorate. WVWV seeks to increase the civic participation of unmarried women and other historically underrepresented groups by identifying, informing, registering, and mobilizing these segments of the population. Since its inception, WVWV has conducted groundbreaking research, developed distinctive registration and mobilization strategies, and framed the coverage of unmarried women in the news media to help millions of women become more informed and involved in the democratic process.
WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE: TO OBTAIN EQUAL PAY AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES! Women still make, on average, only 77 cents for every dollar paid to men, and they still face a glass ceiling in their efforts to reach the highest positions in their fields. Women and their families cannot afford this pay gap, especially in this economy. By voting, women can make sure our leaders in Washington require employers to treat women fairly in the workplace. Many women don t earn enough to stay afloat, let alone to get ahead. Women are nearly two-thirds of minimum-wage workers. The current minimum wage is insufficient to keep a single woman with children out of poverty even if she works full-time, year-round. Women are over-represented in some of the lowest-paying fields and are still left out of many that pay a higher wage. Child care workers, 96% of whom are women, earn less per week than automotive service technicians and mechanics, 98% of whom are male. The recession has hit families across the United States: the overall unemployment rate has reached 9.6 percent. But female-headed households which make up 85% of single parent families have been particularly hard hit, with an unemployment rate of 13.4%. More than one in three female-headed families with children were poor in 2009. Women face unequal pay for equal work, yet laws against pay discrimination have been weakened. Lower earnings harm women and the families that rely on their wages, particularly in a difficult economy. Because women on average earn only about 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, for every $100 a typical woman earns, she has $23 less to spend on necessities such as groceries, housing, and child care. The pay gap means the average woman had to work until April 2010 to make what the average man made by the end of 2009. Women of color fare even worse: African-American women earn only 62 cents, and Latinas only 53 cents, for every dollar earned by white, non-hispanic men. An earnings gap exists between women and men in many different kinds of jobs. For example, female physicians earn 36% less than male physicians.
Even in jobs primarily held by women, men earn more. For example, women in sales and sales-related occupations earn nearly 35% less than men in equivalent positions. Just one year out of college, women working full-time already earn less than their male colleagues, even when they work in the same field. By ten years after graduation, the pay gap has widened. The pay gap follows women into retirement: unmarried women in the workforce today will receive, on average, about $8,000 a year less in retirement income than their male counterparts. Equal pay laws have been weakened over time by courts, making it more difficult for women to prevent and battle wage discrimination. Women face sexual harassment and other discrimination on the job, and need effective tools to fight it. Recent high profile cases show that sex discrimination in the workplace, and pay discrimination in particular, are still all too prevalent. In addition to court cases, report after report has highlighted discrimination across occupations, making clear that current law fails to provide adequate deterrence and sufficient tools to address widespread pay discrimination in the workplace. If women vote, Washington will listen. REGISTER. VOTE. The National Women s Law Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that has been working to advance and protect women s legal rights since 1972. NWLC takes no position on candidates or elections, and nothing herein should be construed as an endorsement of any candidate or party.
WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE: TO RECTIFY LONG-STANDING IN INEQUITIES IN WOMEN S HEALTH AND MAKE HEALTH INSURANCE MORE AFFORDABLE FOR WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES! Today, too many women depend on a health care system that is failing them. They have trouble affording necessary care, face unfair insurance industry practices, or struggle to find insurance that covers the benefits they need. This year, the federal government took a major step toward meeting women s health needs by enacting a new health care law, but efforts are already underway to repeal this new law and eliminate the protections it provides. By voting, women can make sure our leaders in Washington continue to work to address long-standing inequities in women s health and meet the health care needs of women and their families. For too long, women s health care needs have been shortchanged and ignored. Insurance companies regularly exclude the kind of coverage like maternity care that women need most. Women are routinely charged higher premiums than for men for the same coverage. Insurance companies regularly deny coverage for women with pre-existing conditions, like a past C-section or a fight against breast cancer The new health care law takes important steps to rectify these inequities. Insurance companies can no longer drop coverage for someone who gets sick. All new health plans must cover preventive services, such as mammograms and pap smears, at no cost to the woman. If you have a pre-existing condition and no insurance company would sell you a plan for the last six months, there is now insurance available to you in each state. If you are under 26 years old and do not have your own insurance, you can get covered on your parents health plan. Insurance plans can no longer impose a lifetime limit on what they will pay for your medical claims.
Yet efforts are underway to repeal these and other important protections, some before they have even had a chance to work. Over the next few years, the new health care law will mean that women can no longer be charged more than men for the same health insurance coverage. If the new health care law is given a chance, all new health plans will cover benefits women need, like maternity care and prescription drugs. Over the next few years, families who can t get health insurance through their work will have new options available to them, and millions of middle-class families will get help paying for it. Some policymakers want to repeal these and other important protections that will improve women s health and make health care more affordable to women and their families. Others want to give them a chance and build on them. Women s votes will make the difference. If women vote, Washington will listen. REGISTER. VOTE. The National Women s Law Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that has been working to advance and protect women s legal rights since 1972. NWLC takes no position on candidates or elections, and nothing herein should be construed as an endorsement of any candidate or party.
WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE: TO GET SINGLE MOTHERS THE SUPPORT THEY NEED! Millions of single mothers struggle to provide for their families on their own. By voting, women can make sure our leaders in Washington support single moms so they can make ends meet for themselves and their families. Single mothers in the workforce have low wages and little support. More than 75% of single mothers are in the workforce, and more than 75% of those who are employed work full time. But single mothers earnings are low, and they don t get the support they need. The typical single mother working full-time, year-round, earns $28,000, compared to $40,000 for the typical worker. Poor families (mostly headed by single mothers) who pay for child care spend, on average, 32% of their income on child care, a larger percentage of their family budget than higher-income families spend. But only about one in six children eligible for child care assistance under federal law receives it. Many single mothers and their children are struggling to make ends meet. In 2008, over 38% of single-mother families were poor, and the percentage of African-American and Hispanic single-mother families living in poverty was even higher (44% and 46%, respectively). Female-headed households today have an unemployment rate of over 13%--their highest in over 25 years. Some federal supports for single mothers have been increased, but many remain inadequate to meet growing needs and may soon expire. In 2009, Congress expanded the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). These valuable improvements for low- and moderate-income working families, along with tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003, expire at the end of this year. Some policy makers propose to extend all of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts including those that benefit only the top 2% of taxpayers but not the improvements in the Child Tax Credit and EITC. That approach would give
millionaires an average tax cut of about $104,000 next year, while 30% of single mothers would receive no tax benefit at all. Other policy makers would extend tax cuts for middle- and lower-income people, including improvements in the Child Tax Credit and EITC, but not those that benefit only the top 2%. That would prevent 12.9 million low- and moderateincome households from losing $8.3 billion in Child Tax Credit benefits next year, and 11.7 million households from losing an estimated $3.1 billion in benefits from the EITC. Funding for child care assistance still falls short of meeting the need, despite increases provided in the Recovery Act. Without additional federal funding, waiting lists for child care assistance will lengthen, more restrictive eligibility criteria will be imposed, and payment rates for child care providers will fall. The child support program serves over 17 million children one in four and collects over $24 billion for families annually. Unless Congress takes action, a cut in child support enforcement services will take effect in October 2010, costing families (mostly headed by single mothers) about $1 billion a year in owed child support. If women vote, Washington will listen. REGISTER. VOTE. The National Women s Law Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has been working to advance and protect women s legal rights since 1972. NWLC takes no position on candidates or elections, and nothing herein should be construed as an endorsement of any candidate or party.
WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE: TO MAKE THE ECONOMY WORK FOR WOMEN AND FAMILIES! The economy is still struggling to recover from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Women and their families who already were particularly vulnerable are at greatest risk. By voting, women can make sure our leaders in Washington prioritize investments that will help women and their families through hard times, expand opportunity, and strengthen the economy and support a fair tax system to provide the resources needed for those investments. Women are struggling to support their families. One-third of working mothers are the sole wage-earners in the family either because their spouse is unemployed or out of the labor force or because they are heads of households. By some measures, the recession is worsening for women. In August 2010, unemployment among women who head families was 13.4 percent the highest in over 25 years. From August 2009 to August 2010, women lost 224,000 jobs while men gained 453,000. Congress will face decisions that are important to women s economic security for the short and long-term. With over 6 million Americans unemployed for six months or more, and five job seekers for every job opening, the next Congress will have to decide whether to invest in job creation and extended unemployment insurance for workers struggling to find jobs. State and local governments facing budget shortfalls have cut jobs and services ranging from child care assistance to afterschool programs to child support enforcement to health care assistance to services for the elderly. The federal government has provided crucial help to fill some of these gaps, but in many cases this funding is expiring. Congress will have to decide whether to renew this assistance. Congress also will decide whether to increase or cut investments in the wellbeing of our families and the nation, including whether to make high-quality child care more affordable, increase access to higher education and training, ensure access to comprehensive health care, improve child nutrition and food safety, and improve retirement security.
Responsible tax policies can support the investments we need to keep our families and nation strong. Extending Bush-era tax cuts that benefit only the highest earners would give millionaires an average tax cut of over $100,000 per year and cost over $700 billion over the next 10 years. For the same amount of money, we could close the entire 75-year shortfall in Social Security. Closing wasteful tax loopholes for big corporations and the very wealthy could raise hundreds of billions of dollars, making the tax system fairer and providing needed revenue. If women vote, Washington will listen. REGISTER. VOTE. The National Women s Law Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has been working to advance and protect women s legal rights since 1972. NWLC takes no position on candidates or elections, and nothing herein should be construed as an endorsement of any candidate or party.
WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE: FOR HELP IN MEETING FAMILY AND WORK RESPONSIBILITIES! Millions of women struggle to meet their dual responsibilities at work and at home. By voting, women can make sure our leaders in Washington support workplace reforms that will enable them to take time off to care for their children or elderly family members, and ensure they have access to reliable, affordable, and high-quality child and dependent care. Most women with children work outside the home, and parents are working longer hours. Women work in order to support, or help support, themselves and their families. Women make up half of all workers on U.S. payrolls. This is a dramatic change from 1969, when women made up only a third of the workforce. More than half of women with children under age 6 are in the labor force, and over two-thirds of those women are working full time. The number of hours worked by parents in families where both parents work has increased dramatically. In 1979, couples with children worked 60 hours a week, and by 2008 they worked 80 hours a week. Women lack the supports they need at home and at work. Nearly half (49%) of working mothers report that they do not get paid when they miss work to care for a sick child. Good child care is often unavailable or unaffordable. The average cost of fulltime care for one child in a center is more than $4,100 to $18,800 a year, depending on the location and age of the child. The average cost of adult dependent care can be even higher. Efforts to expand paid family and medical leave have not succeeded, and child care is inadequately funded. The Family and Medical Leave Act allows workers to take leave for up to 12 weeks for the birth or adoption of a child, or to care for themselves or a family member in the event of serious illness. But it doesn t require paid leave, it doesn t cover part-time workers, and nearly 50 percent of workers are ineligible because they work for employers with fewer than 50 employees or have not been employed long enough. Bills to expand it have not yet passed, and the Bush Administration implemented regulations that seriously weaken protections for workers under the Act.
Funding for child care assistance falls far short of meeting the need. Only about one in six children eligible for child care assistance under federal law receives it. Many states child care assistance programs have long waiting lists, restrictive income eligibility criteria, and/or low payment rates for child care providers. If women vote, Washington will listen. REGISTER. VOTE. The National Women s Law Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that has been working to advance and protect women s legal rights since 1972. NWLC takes no position on candidates or elections, and nothing herein should be construed as an endorsement of any candidate or party.
WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE: TO ENSURE EVERYONE GETS A GOOD EDUCATION! A good education is the key to economic opportunity. The next Congress will determine how our nation s education system will be reformed and if it will be improved. By voting, women can make sure their leaders in Washington make education a priority and fight for changes that will help all students to succeed. Students don t get the same protection from harassment in school including bullying that their teachers receive. Schools don t have the same legal obligation to protect students from harassment that they have to protect employees. Efforts to make sure students get as much protection as the adults who are charged with educating them have not passed in Congress. Girls are dropping out of high school at alarming rates and face extreme economic consequences as a result. Over 25% of girls fail to graduate with a high school diploma in four years if at all and the rates are far worse for Black, Latina, and Native American girls. Far too many of those who do graduate are not prepared for college or careers. Girls who drop out are even more likely than their male counterparts to be unemployed and earn significantly lower wages than male dropouts if they do have jobs; as a result, they are more likely than male dropouts to need to rely on public support programs to provide for their families. Pregnant and parenting students are being ignored and pushed out of high school instead of supported in their efforts to succeed. Nearly 3 in 10 girls in the U.S. get pregnant at least once before age 20. Pregnant and parenting students are particularly likely to drop out, and far too many schools discriminate against them, discouraging them from continuing their education or creating barriers that push them out of school. When these girls cannot continue their education, they and their children are put on a path to poverty. When schools create programs to help pregnant and parenting girls stay in school, they equip girls for college or careers. But schools need resources to create these programs, resources that are scarcer than ever in today s economic climate.
Public education remains inadequately funded. Programs aimed at closing achievement gaps particularly in high schools have always been woefully underfunded. One in ten U.S. high schools are dropout factories, meaning they lose more than 40% of their students between 9th and 12th grades. Because of the economic downturn, states have had to make particularly severe cuts in education budgets. While, Congress recently passed legislation to avoid widespread teacher layoffs, it funded this program by taking funds out of Food Stamp benefits. Hunger harms the ability of students from low-income families to learn. In the current economy, a college education is more important than ever in order for women to close the wage gap with men. Women with a high school diploma earn only 73% of what men with a high school diploma earn. But women who have recently graduated from college have been able to shrink that gap, making 79% of what recent male college graduates earn. A college education is especially important for women trying to move into highskill, high-wage fields traditionally dominated by men. In the face of high unemployment rates, more people are returning to school to retrain, and more students will need financial aid. But the cost of college has increased significantly, and Pell grants an important source of federal financial aid have not kept pace. If women vote, Washington will listen. REGISTER. VOTE. The National Women s Law Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that has been working to advance and protect women s legal rights since 1972. NWLC takes no position on candidates or elections, and nothing herein should be construed as an endorsement of any candidate or party.
WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE: TO PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY! Social Security is important to all Americans, but women especially depend on Social Security s guaranteed, lifetime benefits. By voting, women can make sure our leaders in Washington pursue policies that protect and strengthen the Social Security system. It s harder for women to achieve a secure retirement. Women are paid less than men and are more likely to take time out of the labor force for caregiving. Thus, they reach retirement with fewer savings and smaller pensions than men but have to manage over a longer lifespan. Women are at substantially higher risk of poverty in retirement than men: 12% of women 65 and older, compared to 7% of men, are poor, and 20% of single women 65 and older are poor. Social Security is the foundation of women s economic security. Women are a majority of Social Security beneficiaries, and rely more on income from Social Security than men do. For a majority of women 65 and older, Social Security provides half or more of their income. For one in three single women age 65 and over, Social Security provides virtually all of their income, 90% or more. Especially for women, Social Security is more than a worker retirement plan it s a family insurance program. Women make up over 98% of adults who receive benefits as the family member of a disabled, deceased, or retired worker. Social Security has a number of features that make it especially valuable to women. Its benefits are reliable, continue for life, and are adjusted each year for inflation. Social Security provides lower earners such as women who were paid less or took time out from work a higher percentage of their pre-retirement earnings than higher earners. For a young worker and family, Social Security provides the equivalent of a $476,000 life insurance and $465,000 disability insurance policy. Policy makers will choose whether to protect and strengthen Social Security or cut and worse privatize it. Social Security is not in crisis. The latest report of the Social Security Trustees finds that even with no changes, Social Security can pay 100% of promised
benefits for 25 years, and over 75% of benefits after that from payroll taxes coming into the system. It isn t necessary to cut benefits that are already modest on average, about $12,000 a year for women to ensure that Social Security can pay 100% of promised benefits for the next 75 years. Currently, wages above $106,800 aren t subject to Social Security taxes. Applying the Social Security tax to higher wages and other compensation could close the long-term financing gap and fund improved benefits for women. For about the same cost as making permanent the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for just the richest 2% of households (set to expire at the end of this year), we could make sure that Social Security can pay 100% of promised benefits for the next 75 years. Raising the full retirement age (already age 66 for people born in 1943 or later and 67 for people born in 1960 or later) is the equivalent of an across-the-board benefit cut. It would create particular hardship for workers in physically demanding jobs and those who rely on Social Security for the vast majority of their income. Privatizing Social Security in whole or part would mean lower Social Security benefits, because funds already committed to paying promised benefits would be diverted into private accounts. Private accounts can t provide the same financial security as Social Security: their value goes up and down with the stock market; accounts can be outlived; and they can t provide the same disability and life insurance protections to workers and their families. If women vote, Washington will listen. REGISTER. VOTE. The National Women s Law Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has been working to advance and protect women s legal rights since 1972. NWLC takes no position on candidates or elections, and nothing herein should be construed as an endorsement of any candidate or party.
WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE: TO MAKE SURE WOMEN HAVE INFORMATION AND OPTIONS TO PREVENT UNINTENDED PREGNANCIES AND MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS ABOUT REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE! Unintended pregnancies are far too common in this country. The government should be doing everything it can to reduce the number through common-sense measures such as comprehensive sex education and access to contraception. It should also make sure that women are the ones making important decisions about their health care, including on abortion and contraception not the government. By voting, women can ensure government policies and programs do not stand in the way of women making important life decisions for themselves and getting the care they need. Millions of women have unmet reproductive health care needs. Nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended. Each year, 750,000 teens in the United States become pregnant. One in four young women between the ages of 14 and 19 has a sexually transmitted infection. Some insurance plans still do not cover the full range of FDA-approved prescription contraceptives. Women need the government to expand not limit their access to reproductive health care and information. The new health care law, when fully implemented, is expected to provide no-cost coverage of contraceptives to women with private health insurance, but efforts are already underway to repeal this new law and eliminate this and other protections. The federal government now dedicates funding for evidence-based sex education that helps young people gain the knowledge and skills they need to make responsible decisions about their health and lives. At the same time, however, money is still going to states for abstinence-only programs that censor information about contraceptives information that young people need to prevent unintended pregnancies and protect their health. Women continue to face restrictions on insurance coverage of abortion. Some lawmakers may try to ease these restrictions, while others will try to enact even 11 Dupont Circle#Suite 800 # Washington, DC 20036#202.588.5180#202.588.5185 Fax# www.nwlc.org