Female voters today represent arguably the most politically active demographic in our nation. Don’t take my word for it. According to a study conducted by the Center for Women and Politics at Rutgers University, women have exceeded voter turnout rates for men by 4 million to 7 million votes in elections for the past 15 years.
This trend is no accident. Women not only account for more than half of the U.S. population, but have also attained more graduate and doctoral degrees than men have over the last three decades, according to a report by the Russell Sage Foundation. As a result, female votes are a linchpin in national and local elections. News pundits such as Charlie Cook suggest that the GOP’s struggle to deliver a consistent message that resonates with women was likely one of the deciding factors in presidential elections prior to 2016. You’re probably not surprised yet, but read on.
It appears that the heart of the GOP’s message gap for women is the lack of female representation in the party, and the fact that some women do not feel represented enough on issues that women care most about. Also, the “war on women” charges leveled against Republicans by the Democratic party certainly adds fuel to the flame.
Unfortunately, both parties often discuss women as a mere voting bloc, which tends to offend female voters. Abortion, contraception, equal work and pay are all very important issues, but they are unfortunately tools leveraged by large interest groups with the purpose of swaying segments of the female vote to the political “left” or “right.” Such agendas have a tendency to make female voters feel disenfranchised. So, what’s the solution?
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The first step ought to be to develop a concrete and consistent platform on women’s issues. According to a Washington Post article, U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, Wash., a woman in leadership who has taken a leading role in bridging the gap between women and the GOP, said: “We need to make sure everyone in this country understands, the Republican vision is one that is about is about empowering you, the belief that you will make better decisions for yourself … than the federal government ever will.”
It goes without saying that both married and single working women care about jobs and the economy. After all, a thriving economy and healthy job prospects are fundamental to a sustainable household income, which provides support for a family. Here, the GOP should leverage the policies of President Ronald Reagan that promoted conditions for a thriving economy, such as reducing tax burdens on working Americans, and reducing excess government regulations that stifle businesses, restraining job growth.
The party must avoid seeking the political approval of female voters simply because they represent a large bloc of the voting population. The party must meaningfully demonstrate why we are one that provides a place for hard-working women everywhere — CEOs, single college and graduate students, and single and married working mothers. And, given that women generally face more obstacles to achieve success in life, the party should begin to consider embracing the platform of equal pay for equal work for women everywhere.
This is the first step in a long process of proving the party’s worth to female voters — and to all voters. The party must strive to provide a path for prosperity for every American — regardless of their race, creed and circumstance — for a better life. I have faith that the GOP can achieve such a worthy goal, but not without fine-tuning the platform to focus on the issues discussed.
A native of Pacifica, Jonathan Madison worked as professional policy staff for the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, from 2011-2013. Jonathan works as an attorney and can be reached via email at jonathanemadison@gmail.com.
I really wonder where Mr. Madison gets the idea that the modern Republican party, whose actual policies include things like restricting access not just to abortion but to birth control (based on claims that the vast majority of doctors and scientists reject as false), rolling back laws that ensure equal pay, and so on, has any interest in appealing to women (or, for that matter, men that want the women in their lives to have personal and economic freedom, rather than being seen as chattel).
I have friends who are ex-Republicans, who are more conservative than I am, or who have a libertarian outlook. I have sympathy for them, given that the GOP is no longer a reasonable home for people who sincerely want to solver the country's problems and disagree with the approach of of the progressive-moderate coalition that runs the Democratic party. Our duopolistic system leaves them without a home, until the GOP finally implodes and makes room for something better. Personally I'd like to see us move to some kind of Proportional Representation system, which would make it much easier for new parties to actually gain representation, and would reduce the impact of polarization and gerrymandering.
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I really wonder where Mr. Madison gets the idea that the modern Republican party, whose actual policies include things like restricting access not just to abortion but to birth control (based on claims that the vast majority of doctors and scientists reject as false), rolling back laws that ensure equal pay, and so on, has any interest in appealing to women (or, for that matter, men that want the women in their lives to have personal and economic freedom, rather than being seen as chattel).
I have friends who are ex-Republicans, who are more conservative than I am, or who have a libertarian outlook. I have sympathy for them, given that the GOP is no longer a reasonable home for people who sincerely want to solver the country's problems and disagree with the approach of of the progressive-moderate coalition that runs the Democratic party. Our duopolistic system leaves them without a home, until the GOP finally implodes and makes room for something better. Personally I'd like to see us move to some kind of Proportional Representation system, which would make it much easier for new parties to actually gain representation, and would reduce the impact of polarization and gerrymandering.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.