jwl fwd :Understanding Women Voters

[J. Halász Judit]

   This message is from the Jewish Women Leaders online listserve, a project
 of the Jewish Women's Coalition, Inc., creating a network of social justice
activists working on issues significant to Jewish women (and men).
    The following poll results are sent to us by Linda Tarr-Whelan, President
of the Center for Policy Alternatives, and Meredith Wagner, Senior Vice
President of Public Affairs at Lifetime Television.
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10 KEY POINTS TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT WOMEN IN THE 2000 ELECTIONS

1.  Four years ago, women thought the economy was marked by instability;
now, all groups of women see opportunity.

2.  Women are asking, "Is this as good as it gets?" and class distinctions
by educational and marital status are more evident.

3.  Equal pay and benefits and juggling family and work are critical
concerns for all groups of women.

4.  Employed women are focusing on benefits, not just wages.

5.  Retirement is a big worry with the preferred solution being portable
pensions that can be taken from one job to another.  Women rank retirement
second only after education on their list of concerns.

6.  Health care costs, another top concern, is also being met with a
desire for self-management.  The preferred solution is health insurance
independent from employment.

7.  Women and men believe government can play a helping role and look
to government more in 2000 than four years ago.  Adults look to government
to help tackle tough problems such as childcare and caring for elderly
relatives with a plurality of both women and men siding with a government
solution to child care.

8.  Close to half of women (48%) and men (45%) think it is likely they will
be responsible for caring for an elderly parent or other elderly person.
This is especially acute for women who also have children (63%),
presenting a double bind for many families.

9.  Entrepreneurship continues to be an attractive option as women seek
more control and flexibility.  Women's entrepreneurial spirit remains strong
and unchanged since 1996 with 40% of women already owing their own
businesses or having the desire to own their own business.

10.  The time crunch is consistent for women as they juggle the demands
of family and work and try to spend time with their children to instill
moral values.  Most say it is harder to balance the demands of family and
work than it was four years ago.  Both men and women believe spending
more time with children is by far the top solution to strengthening the
values in our country.

In general:
    Women remain very concerned, not only about their economic future,
but also about the quality of their and their family's lives.  For example,
nearly 60% of all women worry bout continuing to make ends meets, as
well as having enough time to do everything they need to do and still spend
time with their families.
    Women feel very strongly about being rewarded equally for an equal
day's work, but 71% also say they would prefer a job with more
flexibility and benefits to a job with higher wages.
    The poll found that women support a wide ranging and aggressive
policy agenda with more job-independent health care, portable retirement,
equal pay and benefits topping the list.

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MODERATOR'S COMMENT: Don't forget to vote THOUGHTFULLY!

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