Chicks can Swing!
by Louisa C. Brinsmade

Daily News: 03.15.00

It's time to get down to it, Ladies. WE are the swing vote come November. In fact, women have been the majority voting bloc since 1969 (didn't know that, did you?). Use it, or you'll lose it.

What are your issues? Do you have issues? Are you just getting out of bed? For the latest on how women vote and why, read the Gallup poll conducted for Women.com.

In a nutshell, it says women don't all vote alike, they tend to vote on issues, and partisan politics is the last thing on their minds. Here are some issues making the short list with women before Election 2000, and some palaces to go to find out more…

The Economy: Don't Skirt the Issue
Women entrepreneurs are going into business at twice the national average. By 2005 women-owned businesses will represent 50% of all businesses, according to Ernst & Young figures. The focus on networking and customer service today suits the strengths of women-owned businesses, which tend to be in the service sector.

So, get to networking. Communicate with other women to see where they've had successes and failures. Don't get stuck on gender--there are two great networking sites that don't skirt the issue: Women In Technology International and womenCONNECT.com.

Every woman needs to learn to invest wisely and how to save. Polls like the one at Women.com show that women abdicate their investment strategy to the men in their lives. You can't afford it. Women live on average 7 years longer than their male mates, and control 65% of the country's family finances. Here are some resources to learn how to make your money work, and how to pass that knowledge on to your daughters.

The Smart Woman's Guide to Spending, Saving and Managing Money by Diane Pearl (1996, Williams Clinton, Wiley Publishing)
No More Frogs To Kiss: 99 Ways To Give Economic Power To Girls by Joline Godfrey (1995 Joline Editing)

Health: The Stress Factor
Work Stress is a major factor in women's health. A new survey found that 60% of working women work 40 or more hours a week, and of those with children under 18, half worked different shifts than their spouses or partners. The problems these working women listed centered around employer benefits: flexible hours, and paid sick-leave or child-care benefits. Almost 75% did not have childcare benefits; over 50% didn't receive paid leave for taking care of a sick child or a relative. A third reported that their employers did not offer schedule flexibility or any pension or retirement benefits.

Chronic stress leads to poor health, both physical and mental. The group that took the survey, the A.F.L.-C.I.O., plans to draft a legislative agenda for working women with these findings in mind. The A.F.L.-C.I.O survey also found that equal pay was the number one concern of working women --considering that women earn 74% on the dollar compared to their male counterparts, that could lead to some stress as well.

This weekend, the A.F.L.-C.I.O.'s "Working Women Conference 2000" conference in Chicago met to outline that legislative agenda. So far, reports from the conference show support for VP Al Gore's "working family agenda". But support for Gore is no surprise. Women generally support Republicans on moral grounds, but Democrats on policy, according to a CNN poll this weekend.

Abortion: It's your choice
Several US Supreme Court justices are set to retire, which means that whomever wins this election will appoint their replacements. The supreme court is merely teetering on its current 5-4 split in favor of abortion, and has made decisions that dilute not only the strength of Roe v. Wade, but the power of the supreme court itself to protect abortion rights. (The 1989 Webster v. Reproductive Health Services decision opened up the possibility for states to regulate abortion, and to determine the "viability" of a fetus after 20 weeks.) Read more at Planned Parenthood.

Other issues that are coming to the fore regarding abortion include the sale of fetal tissue for medical research and procedures. A US House of Representatives Commerce subcommittee met last Thursday on the issue. If public opinion turns against this type of controversial research, it is likely to affect the country's take on abortions in general. For more information, see CNN's March 9 report and the notes from the House Commerce subcommittee for Health and Environment.