Will women rock the vote?
WITH ONE convention down and the other to go, the voter courting season is now in full swing. As early as February, President Bush was out campaigning for the so-called NASCAR dads' votes. Democratic pollster Celinda Lake dubbed them the electorate candidates should pursue -- displacing the soccer moms of 1992 and the waitress moms of 1996. In March of this year a group called "Women's Voices. Women Vote" encouraged the Democrats to cultivate yet another potential swing vote group: single women under the age of 65, separated, widowed, divorced, or never married. Single women could decide the election in November -- if they vote at the same rate as married women.
Just which group will emerge as the most sought-after is yet to be determined, but one thing is for sure: Many of the issues women raised in 1992 have not changed much.
Perhaps the most insidious, even if unintended, message in the focus on NASCAR dads is its suggestion that the so-called soccer mom vote is for some reason no longer worthy of pursuit, either insignificant or already decided. This attitude could neutralize the issues that drove women to the political arena in record numbers in 1992. Such proclamations, along with women's very real concerns about the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and national security, may have a chilling effect on concerns of women in their roles as mothers. Under scrutiny, the women's vote in 1992 and 1996 proves to be much more diverse than the soccer mom tag suggests. But a look at a few of the issues that galvanized women in past elections show that many have not been resolved. Despite the troubled times, they may very well prove salient factors in this year's elections.
Many of these issues cut across lines of race, class, age, and marital status even though they may affect certain groups differently.
Child care and early learning programs critical to enabling women to work are underfunded. Increased support for these critical programs does not appear to be forthcoming. According to the National Women's Law Center, the proposed federal budget would cut child care assistance for 300,000 children by 2009. Lower tax revenues at the state and local levels have resulted in cuts not only to child care but also to after-school programs, reducing quality of care and leaving urban and suburban moms with very limited options.
The mother of young children in 1992 may no longer have to worry about child care. But if she has not already done so, she and her family may soon come face to face with rising college tuition, not to mention higher costs for graduate or professional education. The jump in cost for the 2003-2004 term was on average 14 percent at public four-year and community colleges.
So far, a good deal of the tuition increase is being matched by increased financial aid, but the resulting debt incurred by families threatens to leave poor and middle-class graduates and their parents mortgaged for years.
Much has been said about the strain on the economy that retiring baby boomers will bring. As part of that generation, many of 1992's soccer moms will reach age 65 by the end of this decade or shortly thereafter.
Retirement insecurity for them and all women is of special concern. Women tend to live longer than men, and whether they are widowed, divorced, or never married, they are more likely to live in single-income households in retirement. Despite gains in their earnings, women still have lower lifetime earnings than men and retire with fewer assets and pension benefits. Caring for the elderly and, increasingly, grandchildren tends to fall on women and also threatens their retirement security. There is evidence that women of color and women in immigrant communities bear these responsibilities disproportionately.
It is hard to imagine that NASCAR dads don't care about these issues, but during this political courtship, one should not be surprised if the issues of women and their families are reduced to "mere special interests" and pitted against overall domestic or international concerns. Yet it is inexcusable that some portion of the considerable talent and resources available to both parties cannot be enlisted to focus on gender as part of the larger vision for our country.
In this tight election, it is even harder to imagine that either the Democrats or Republicans can afford to ignore women as potential swing voters. Whatever course the campaigns take and whatever groups John Kerry and President Bush choose to court, women continue to have reasons to make their voices heard in November even though 2004 is not the Year of the Woman.
Anita F. Hill is a professor of law, social policy and women's studies at the Heller Graduate School of Brandeis University. 
