What women want: Is it abortion, contraception, and equal pay 鈥� or jobs?
The Obama campaign is targeting so-called 'women's issues,' as Romney doubles down on an appeal to women on a promise for more and better jobs. The presidential race could turn on who gets it right.
The Obama campaign is targeting so-called 'women's issues,' as Romney doubles down on an appeal to women on a promise for more and better jobs. The presidential race could turn on who gets it right.
What do women want?
Aside from not being relegated to binders (just kidding!), the answer to that question, it seems, may very well determine the outcome of the presidential election. And so far, President Obama and Mitt Romney are banking on very different sets of priorities held by the women they鈥檙e hoping to win 鈥� by which we mean primarily blue-collar, suburban so-called 鈥渨aitress moms,鈥� who are economically strapped but also tend to be socially moderate on issues like abortion.
Mr. Romney is hoping that those women care, first and foremost, about jobs and the economy. Although he鈥檚 been trying to modulate his stance on issues like abortion, saying in a recent interview that he did not know of any anti-abortion legislation he would push for, he鈥檚 really urging women to put so-called 鈥渨omen鈥檚 issues鈥� on the back burner and vote instead for the candidate they think would do the most for the economy and job creation.
Tellingly, a new Romney ad features a mom talking into the camera about how Romney 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 oppose contraception at all,鈥� and believes abortion 鈥渟hould be an option in cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother鈥檚 life.鈥� She continues, as the camera shows her kids doing their homework: 鈥淭his issue is important to me. But I鈥檓 more concerned about the debt our children will be left with. I voted for President Obama last time. But we just can鈥檛 afford four more years.鈥�
Mr. Obama, on the other hand, is counting on those 鈥渨omen鈥檚 issues鈥� being a top priority for many female voters. And he routinely makes the point that they often are economic issues 鈥� equal pay is clearly a pocketbook matter, and paying for your own birth control, if insurance won鈥檛 cover it, is a not-insignificant expense for many women.
As for abortion, well, the Obama campaign has a new ad out responding to the above-mentioned Romney ad by showing footage of Romney in a GOP primary debate, being asked: 鈥淚f Roe v. Wade was overturned and Congress passed a federal ban on all abortions, would you sign it?鈥� Romney responded: 鈥淚鈥檇 be delighted to sign that bill.鈥� The spot concludes: 鈥淏an all abortions? Only if you vote for him.鈥�
The question is, which argument is more likely to succeed?
According to a recent Gallup poll of women voters in 12 swing states, Obama may have an edge: When asked what they viewed as the 鈥渕ost important issue for women in this election,鈥� the top response by far was abortion, at 39 percent. That was followed by jobs (19 percent), health care (18 percent), the economy (13 percent), and equal pay (15 percent).
However, it鈥檚 worth noting that it's unclear which side of the abortion issue those women who chose it as "most important" fall on. And since the question specifically asked women about the most important issue 鈥渇or women,鈥� not just the most important issue overall, it may have directed respondents to think more specifically about 鈥渨omen鈥檚 issues鈥� than they otherwise would have. A previous Gallup poll asking women which issues they viewed as most important found health care was the top response, followed by the deficit and the national debt.
All of which probably means the verdict is still out.