Unmarried Women Seek Economic Relief, Affordable Health Care, and a Change of Course in Iraq

Volume 10, Issue 7, April 5, 2007

Unmarried Women Seek Economic Relief, Affordable Health Care, and a Change of Course in Iraq

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Illinois Legislative Update

Economic relief, affordable health care, and leaving Iraq are the most vital concerns for Congress among unmarried women 18 and older, according to a recent survey of a thousand women in this often-ignored voting bloc. Unmarried women constitute a national majority for the first time ever, meaning that addressing their policy concerns could be essential in maintaining Democratic leadership.

“The Unmarried Women’s Agenda: Priorities for the 110th Congress,” the title of the report on the survey that Greenberg Quinlan Rosner conducted for Women’s Voices Women’s Vote at the outset of the new Congress, articulates unmarried women’s optimism toward the new leadership and a strong concern for legislative actions on, among others, making health care more affordable, curbing tuition hikes for higher education, improving job availability, and removing troops from Iraq. Achieving pay equity and reducing the gender wage gap—improvements that this population traditionally supports—remain of interest.

The report cites unmarried women’s opinions on the Bush administration’s fiscal policy, immigration reform, and women in Congress. (A majority of survey respondents “strongly disapprove” of the way President Bush is handling his job.) Policy questions of relevance for low-income women received attention. Fully funding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, raising the federal minimum wage, and expanding health care coverage to the uninsured are important political actions, according to respondents. Such concerns speak to the difficulties of economic independence among unmarried women, but the report conveys this population group’s optimism that a new Democratic Congress will bear in mind the specific challenges for low-income, single women.

Unmarried women in America reached 51 percent this year, up from 49 percent in 2000 and 35 percent in 1950. But, as single women move into the new majority, their political influence is not necessarily guaranteed. Out of the 1,000 women surveyed, only 566 voted in the 2006 election. While 70 percent of respondents claimed that they were almost certain to vote in 2008, only time will tell if unmarried women’s numbers are enough to make a strong political impact. Click here to view the full report, or visit http://www.gqrr.com/.

HB 1330 (ESSA) and SB 534 (SHA) Move Forward in the Illinois General Assembly

The Shriver Center’s Women’s Law and Policy Project is pleased to report on the progress of two pieces of legislation for which the staff has been advocating.

First, HB 1330, the Ensuring Success in School Act, passed out of the Illinois House of Representatives last week with a strong majority. We expect an uphill battle in the Senate and plan an aggressive campaign to gain the support of all the senators for this vital legislation that promotes school completion and safety for students who are parents, expectant parents, or victims of domestic or sexual violence. Senator Iris Y. Martinez (D-20) will lead the effort in the Senate to improve educational outcomes for these vulnerable students.

The first hurdle in the Senate for HB 1330 will be to pass out of the Senate Education Committee. We will keep you posted in the coming weeks about contacting your legislators in support of the bill.

Second, SB 534 amends the Safe Homes Act to provide additional protections to victims of domestic or sexual violence living in rental housing. SB 534 amendments include extending the lock change provision to oral leaseholders, allowing landlords to exclude barred perpetrators from a unit, and requiring landlords to tender a new set of keys promptly following an emergency lock change. The bill passed out of the Illinois Senate unanimously and will enter the House with lead sponsor Representative Patricia Reid Lindner (R-50).

For more information about H.B. 1330, the Ensuring Success in School Act, please contact Wendy Pollack, director of the Women’s Law & Policy Project at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, at 312-263-3830 ext. 238 or wendypollack@povertylaw.org.