What do women want? If you're John McCain or Barack Obama, and you answer that question correctly, you are likely to find yourself in the White House in January.
A new poll conducted by Peter Hart Research Associates for the National Women's Law Center offers insights into the struggles and concerns faced by American women.
While we've all become familiar with polling that shows Americans think the country is on the wrong track, this new poll finds women far more pessimistic than men in their attitudes about the status quo. Whether it is the price of food and fuel, health care costs, disparities in the workplace, or particular economic policies -- American women of all ages, colors and creeds feel the impact in numbers consistently greater than their male counterparts.
Specifically, 59 percent of women (compared to 46 percent of men) surveyed said that they were worried about achieving economic and financial goals over the next five years. Sixty-eight percent of women believe that the nation requires a strong women's movement to make the type of changes needed to support women's issues (49 percent of men shared this view).
Looking at these and other results of the poll, it's not hard to see why women enter this election season highly motivated. Even without these new data, it is clear that the country's economic woes are wreaking havoc on millions of women and their families. Just look at the facts:
• One in four girls drops out of high school, resulting in annual income $9,100 below even the low wages earned by male high school dropouts.
•Women overall earn just 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. These numbers are even worse for women of color.
•Parents need child care to be productive at work while their children develop the skills they need to succeed in school - but federal child care assistance is provided to only one in seven eligible children.
•Six in ten poor adults are women. More than one in three single mothers live in poverty, as does nearly one in five elderly women living alone. Yet programs to help poor women and families have been cut while tax cuts are lavished on the very wealthy.
•More than 17 million American women have no health insurance at all and one in five women reports that she did not fill a prescription in the last year because of cost. Nearly half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended, while the cost of birth control has increased in the past year as much as ten-fold for millions of women.
Given these growing problems, women will be looking to the general election campaign for substance, not sound bites, and media coverage focused on more than just who's up and who's down.
The candidates' positions on Roe v. Wade and the type of justices they would nominate to the Supreme Court have received some attention, but warrant further exploration, to be sure. And many other fundamental issues of great importance to women have yet to receive any real attention.
•How will the candidates address access to comprehensive and affordable health care that meets women's needs? Will they address insurance company practices that especially hurt women, like gender-based premiums and exclusions based on pre-existing conditions? What about coverage of women's reproductive health needs?
•How will the candidates help men and women struggling to meet both their work and family obligations with access to affordable, high-quality child care, family and medical leave, and other supports for children and aging family members?
•How will the candidates reduce poverty and increase economic security for women at all stages of their lives?
•How will the candidates reform the tax system to ensure that it raises adequate revenues to advance women's priorities and that everyone pays his or her fair share of taxes?
•How will the candidates ensure that girls and women get an equal chance at a quality education and well-paying jobs? How will educational programs be structured to ensure that both girls, and boys, stay in school? How will women's right to receive equal pay be guaranteed and effectively enforced?
•How will candidates address policies that will help prevent unintended pregnancies?
Nine out of ten women surveyed feel that the nation overall is experiencing challenging or difficult times. They are looking for leadership that will help to address issues that are critical to their lives. The NWLC today released its Platform for Progress -- an agenda to address the unmet needs of women and their families in the areas of education, employment, economic security, health and legal rights. The outcome of the election could -- and should -- be decided on a serious airing of these issues.
Nancy Duff Campbell and Marcia D. Greenberger are Co-Presidents of the National Women's Law Center.