Women's Voices. Women Vote.
by Page Gardner
Today, Equality Day, marks the 90th anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. A lot has changed in ninety years, but one fact remains more salient than most: women are a political force to be reckoned with in this country.
Washington, DC—Today, Women’s Voices Women Vote and the Center for American Progress unveiled The Other Half: Unmarried Women, Economic Well-Being and the Great Recession which highlights the impact of the Great Recession on unmarried American women and the families and households that rely on them. This demographic has grown to include three in ten households and they are raising 25 percent of all American children under 18.
While stumping for Michigan politician Andrew "Rocky" Raczkowski, Phyllis Schlafly once again dipped into her poisoned well of rhetoric. Her target was unmarried women, and she returned to the tired old trope of welfare abuse. Ms. Schlafly said the only reason these women turned out to vote was because “when you kick your husband out, you gotta have Big Brother Government to be your provider.” Her comments are insulting to unmarried women and to the democratic process.
New data released last week by the Labor Department shows the continuing consequences of the Great Recession for unmarried women. This group continues to experience high and extended unemployment as well as underemployment, and this underscores the urgent need for Congress and the administration to continue to focus on job creation and policies to spur demand and assist the unemployed.
By Page Gardner
Ten million American women are raising children on their own. On this Mother’s Day, we should thank these hard-working moms and look to what we as a society could be doing to improve their lives, and the lives of their children.
The following statement was delivered by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)
Among the many great benefits of the commonsense health reform package we passed last month is a guarantee that finally in America being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition. By bringing an end to discriminatory policies like gender rating and insurance coverage for maternity, preventive, and wellness care, our legislation puts women’s health on an equal footing at long last.
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