Obama Adviser: Stimulus Won't Be Sexist, Not Just Help For "Burly Men"

The Obama transition team put out a video on Sunday detailing the job creation components of their proposed stimulus legislation.

Putting aside, for a moment, the novelty of having the Chair-designate for the Council of Economic Advisers, Christina Romer, using YouTube to discuss the contours of a potentially $1 trillion stimulus, you get a sense of the kind of political pressures facing Obama's economic gurus.

Romer, during the nine-minute long clip, recounts how shortly after her appointment was announced, she received an email from a women's group expressing concern that any stimulus effort would disproportionately aid "burly men."

"That's been in the back of my mind as I've looked at this and thought about this, and that's where I have been one of the strong proponents," said the Berkeley economics professor. "The balance of the program, the fact that it does have the investments in education and health care, it does have the state fiscal relief, it does have the middle class tax cuts. All those pieces are creating jobs in some of the sectors like health care, education and retail trade, where women are a disproportionately large fraction."

In conversations with several women's issues officials, you do indeed get the sense of legitimate worry that the makeup of the stimulus package will be too focused on construction and manufacturing -- traditionally male areas of work.

"There is great concern," Martha Burk, formerly chair of National Council of Women's Organizations, told the Huffington Post, "not only that women won't get the jobs, but that unemployment itself is not helping women in the same numbers as men."

And, as such, the Obama team has been pressured in public and private to -- at the very least -- take into consideration the circumstances that women confront in the labor market and make sure that the stimulus bill reflects these circumstances. In her video Romer addressed this as well, saying:

We do think, obviously, if we are going do a lot of investment in roads and bridges, we are probably going to create jobs in construction. Absolutely, that is in there. But again... think about the investment in health care and education or state fiscal relief. Those are creating jobs in education and health care, not just in construction or in manufacturing where you might be used to thinking about where that kind of government spending is going to show up. Likewise, if you have a middle class tax cut, one of the places that that shows up is in wholesale and retail trade, because as people start buying things, we need people to run stores again...

...The jobs effects are somewhat concentrated in some industries, absolutely. Construction and manufacturing will have more than you get if you just had a completely generic kind of recovery package. But it is pretty broad-based and it is going to show up throughout the economy.

Comments

[NWBrunette]

Interesting how things like pre-school education, health care, health insurance, working with the mentally ill, environmental cleanup, etc., etc., etc.... are all just as important to our communities and our economy... oh, but those are things women care about. They're not important like bridges, roads, and making really big skyscrapers. You know, man stuff, that's what's really important. You betcha, bring me another round of testosterone boys!

[TheParson]

Can't women shovel coal like the rest of us?

Nanny State entitlements = the true face of feminism

[loveobamas]

I heard O say this on sunday,i glad he doing this he's the man!!!!

[nikky]

i am still concerned about how this stimuus might help the seniors they are the forgotten ones in this whole scenario i have heard noone say one word about them and a lot of them are hurting

[EdgedInBlue]

Whilst I agree seniors are to be considered, I believe the tweeners..­. those between 50 and 65... are probably the forgotten ones. These are the folks who no longer have children, have lost jobs and retirement, and have no prospects UNTIL social security. They will be the ones who fall between the cracks.

[PATina]

Yes... and they have harder times finding jobs because of their age. But again... there should be some support jobs (or other jobs created) that they may be able to get.

[kissmygrits]

Cool. Can you imagine a JMac admin even caring about this as an issue?

[Chavez08]

These jobs are *necessary* to rebuild, the era of pencil-pushing money-changers flipping phoney money is gone. However, there will be plenty of supporting white-collar jobs that won't be for "Burly Men". (also, 1-7 rule in mfg)

If you are worried about this doing damage to the feminist movement, put on your best Rosie Riveter shirt and show the world that you can do what men do. Who knows, you might enjoy and be good at that kind of work.

Otherwise, pipe-down.

[gruyere6]

unterfuerher S. Palin would make it right. family values, you know. she is a role model and so is her family, eh?

[clearthinker2008]

....But I still have my doubts.

[clearthinker2008]

I was wondering about that, I was telling my partner it sounds like a lot of jobs for men would be created, construction, heavy lifting, etc. Not that women can't do those jobs but it just seemed a little to geared to the guys. There are a lot of single mothers from divorce or otherwise that need jobs. This is good to hear.

[Chavez08]

There are men unemployed but getting screwed in Child Support arrears that need it more.

[propitiousmoment]

Nobody needs it "more", a**hole, everybody needs it. The point is that women disproportionately get left out.

[ruffmama]

having to provide for your kids is "getting screwed"?

[gruyere6]

i am a woman and am embarrassed by the narrow minded b------ who wrote Romer, as well as Romer's response. have trust that Barack will do it right.

[Chavez08]

I think I love you, gruyere!

(though I'm sure it's not the first time i've said that...)

[ManwithaParachute]

The stimulus will ignore working men and working women.

[hortonhearsawho2]

Wear something bright maybe...ge­t noticed.

[gruyere6]

where did you say you wanted that stimulus?

[rogerze]

What a joke.

Maybe if so many women didn't still consider marriage to be retirement they'd have more jobs.

[hortonhearsawho2]

So, every woman you've ever met works....

[PATina]

No... you actually sound like the 'joke'.

[kissmygrits]

What planet do you live on?

[j.gold]

Fast Facts
In the global economy, women account for 60 percent of the world’s 550 million
working poor—even though they make up 40 percent of the world’s workforce.
In 2005, women in the United States were paid 77 cents for every dollar men were
paid.
African American women earn only 72 cents and Latinas 59 cents for every dollar
men are paid. Asian Pacific American women earn 87 cents for every dollar men
make.
Nationwide, working families lose $200 billion in income annually due to the wage
gap between men and women.
If married women were paid the same as men in comparable jobs, their family
incomes would rise by nearly 6 percent, and their families' poverty rates would fall
from 2.1 percent to 0.8 percent.
If single working mothers earned as much as men in comparable jobs, their family
incomes would increase by nearly 17 percent and their poverty rates would be cut in
half, from 25.3 percent to 12.6 percent.
If single women earned as much as men in comparable jobs, their incomes would rise
by 13.4 percent and their poverty rates would be reduced from 6.3 percent to 1
percent.
The 25.6 million women who work in predominantly female jobs lose an average of
$3,446 each per year; the 4 million men who work in predominately female
occupations lose an average of $6,259 each per year—a total $114 billion loss for
men and women in predominately female jobs.

[Two Three Four]

Minnesota Senate: The Center of Norm Coleman's (R) Legal Contest is...Human Error?
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=192&ArticleName=Is+Coleman+Fighting+Human+Error%3f

[rasit]

Is it so hard for people to understand that this Economic Recovery package will help ALL AMERICANS; why the hell is it people have to make things more complicated by looking for self interest??

[Sumocat]

Pfft. Everyone knows burly men spend all their money on porn and strip clubs, funneling the economic stimulus into woman-dominated industries. The real injustice is to us non-burly men. Where are we supposed to get money for porn and strip clubs?

[PATina]

hahahahaha­hahahaha..­. I guess you'll have to find work in office jobs w/ the women who don't work in the porn or strip club industries­... hahahahahaha

[Chavez08]

There are alot of strip clubs that use sex-slaves, brought-in from Asia via Globalization. This industry isn't good for anything.

[NWBrunette]

ROTFLMAO!

[CharlesJ]

Look here who ever is doing the complaining about burly men jobs... and such. I have been unemployed 19 of the past 24 months, although I am a man that has not helped me one little bit. I am as they say over qualified, ( a nice way of saying that I am too old). At the age of 57 with nearly 22 years active duty Army (now retired), 10 years as a restaurant General Manager (retired), 7 years as a home remodeling general contractor (bankrupt, no bail out for the small business). There are all kinds of people from all walks of life looking for work; the young, older, male, female, black, white and hispanic. What burns me is all these pity parties going on for specific groups and classes of people, the bottom line is the economy sucks and it will get worse. All we can hope and pray for it that it doesnt hurt too many more people because we that are looking, that have lost most everything we worked so hard to have knows very well what it is like to be on the outside looking in. Keep smiling and keep trying, its all we can do.

[divatalk]

CharlesJ and anyone else looking for a job or knows of anyone looking for a job. I am a business consultant and my company is hiring. You sound as though you have some skills we need.

This is the first time I've ever posted even though I've been reading Huffington Post for months. So if you can share a safe way for me to get you my info or for you to send me yours, I'd be happy to do so.

[propitiousmoment]

Diva, do you have a website? If it's got a "contact us" link that would probably be the best way to get in touch.

[RightWingMarine]

Since the govt can only spend a dollar by first taking a dollar away from someone else doesn't this mean that private business and individuals will have less money to spend? What part of the Constitution gives Congress the power to perform any of these bailouts? If spending $1 Trillion will stimulate the economy and make everything better, why not spend $2 Trillion or $3?

Feminists have agitated loudly that men and women are equal and demand to be treated equally. Then why are we concerning ourselves with how many women work in certain industries and how much bailout we should give them? Are women prohibited from designing and building bridges?

[AdLib]

The 1950's called, your table is ready.

[hortonhearsawho2]

lol