OHIO WOMEN IN THE 2004 ELECTION

Unemployment rates in Ohio are rising, especially among women.  As of July 2004, 230,000 Ohioans were unemployed, with an unemployment rate of 5.9 percent.  Of that, 5.8 percent of women are unemployed.  This number is up from 4.2 percent in 2000.  [“How Are Working Women in Ohio Doing?” AFL-CIO June 2004] 

The jobs available to working women are not as high quality as the jobs they lost.  Nine out of 10 working women, nationally, say that finding good paying jobs that provide benefits are hard to find.  Half of those people say it is VERY hard to find those jobs. [“How Are Working Women in Ohio Doing?” AFL-CIO June 2004] 

• The average wage for industries that are growing in Ohio is $11,355.  This is 26.8 percent lower than the industries shedding jobs. [“How Are Working Women in Ohio Doing?” AFL-CIO June 2004] 

Working women are concerned about access to good healthcare benefits and reasonable prices for prescription drugs.  Nationally, 1/4 to 1/3 of working women lack basic healthcare benefits provided by employers, prescription drug coverage and pensions. [“How Are Working Women in Ohio Doing?” AFL-CIO June 2004] 

• In Ohio, 14 percent of women are uninsured.  That adds up to 488,740 working women in Ohio without healthcare benefits or prescription drug coverage. [“How Are Working Women in Ohio Doing?” AFL-CIO June 2004] 

• Only 71 percent of working women in Ohio are offered healthcare benefits from their employer.  35.7 percent of private sector Ohio employers DO NOT offer health insurance to their workers. [“How Are Working Women in Ohio Doing?” AFL-CIO June 2004]

·      Four out of five undecided women voters "do not believe the country is headed in the right direction on the issue of health care and insurance coverage,” according to a survey by Lifetime Television and Rock the Vote.  [Columbus Dispatch, 8/8/04] 

There is major wage disparity for working women in Ohio.  Women across the country are still not paid as much as men, despite possessing similar education, experience and skills.   

• In 2003, men out-earned women in Ohio.  Women in Ohio earned a median hourly wage of $11.57, conversely, men made $14.78.  Women in Ohio made 78.3 percent of men’s wages.  [Policy Matters Ohio, “The State of Working Ohio 2004”]

• Women with college degrees earned $3.78 less on average than men at the same education level in Ohio in 2003. [Policy Matters Ohio, “The State of Working Ohio 2004”]

• Ohio ranks 41^st among all states in the wage gap ratio between women and men. [“How Are Working Women in Ohio Doing?” AFL-CIO June 2004]

Women can, and must, make a difference in this election.  Political strategists agree that in 2000, single women made the difference. Nationwide, 22 million single women did not vote in the 2000 election.  That group had the power to change the course of that election.  [Plain Dealer, 6/20/04] 

·    "This is a group of women who think we're going in the wrong direction as a country, and they want things to be different," Anna Greenberg, co-author of report on women’s voting behaviors for the Women’s Voices, Women’s Vote campaign. [Plain Dealer, 6/20/04] 

·     Some say these women could become a powerful swing demographic group, since they care more about issues than parties. [Plain Dealer, 6/20/04] 

o       These working and single women have diverse concerns and issues.  Healthcare, childcare, tax relief, and good paying job creation, education are chief among them. 

Expanding Economic Opportunity for Women 

• John Kerry and John Edwards believe that expanding economic opportunity for women is a critical part of building a stronger America.

• They understand that women need increased access to capital in order to get a business off the ground.  That’s why they are committed to supporting women-owned businesses by fully funding the Small Business Administration and its loan programs.  Unlike George Bush, who proposed eliminating the SBA’s microloan program, John Kerry and John Edwards want to increase small business loan programs to help women start their own businesses.

Balancing Work and Family 

• Today’s families have less income and less time to spend with their children than they did three decades ago.  Both business owners and employers feel this time and income squeeze.  

• Women need to know that they have access to high quality, affordable care for their children.  That’s why John Kerry and John Edwards have a proposal to increase childcare tax credits to cover the first $5,000 of expenses for each child.  Their proposal makes this tax credit available to moderate-income families and stay-at-home parents.   

Ohio’s Efforts on Women Outreach.  Nearly half of all single women did not vote in the 2000 Presidential election.  The Kerry-Edwards campaign is making sure that does not happen again.  We know these are busy women, with a lot of challenges in their lives, so we are going to them -- reaching out where they live, work, go to school and play to get them involved. 

·   Recruiting women business owners to register women to vote at their place of business.  

·   Setting up women to women phone banks – where women of similar age and background call other women to talk to them about why they are supporting John Kerry and John Edwards, and why it is important to turn out to vote. 

·   Setting up women voter registration programs on college campuses. 

·   Building into the activities of women’s campus organizations with programs like our “Rush for JFK” sorority outreach program.  

·   Registering voters and recruiting supporters of African American single women at ‘First Friday” happy hour receptions for African American singles across the state.  

·   Registering voters and recruiting women as “Back to School” PTA meetings and kids sporting events – like fall soccer games. 

Every woman can be an organizer and recruiter.  Every woman can register voters.  We are going to give them a clipboard and put them to work.