TORONTO – Republican frontman Mitt Romney’s “binders full of women” comments appear to have done little harm to his campaign.
The American media is reporting that Romney is closing the gender gap on incumbent president Barack Obama – one Associated Press poll suggests Romney has erased the Democrats’ 16-point advantage among women while Pew researchers peg the lead Obama lost at nearly 20 per cent.
Global News takes a look at both the Democratic and Republican platforms to see where each candidate stands on key issues that affect women:
Household debt and the economy
The past four years have been tough for Americans managing foreclosures, rising household debt and a fragile economy.
Obama: The president’s record has been marred by economic uncertainty and inheriting a government that was wading its way through a recession. He’s tried to turn things around with auto industry and bank bailouts and he’s also proposed tax breaks for manufacturers that keep business within the country to help preserve jobs.
Romney: The Republican candidate is pitching job protection and a better economic future to women, which is why pundits say he’s closing the gap on female voters. He’s promising lower taxes and unemployment savings accounts, which is sure to appeal to job-searchers, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Job security
As corporate and public sector budgets take a beating, women within the workforce have felt the repercussions.
Obama: Obama’s stimulus bill pumped $2 billion into child care, which was meant to help moms juggle double duty at home and in the workforce. He’s also encouraged employers to help new moms with “reasonable break times,” and private spaces to pump milk at work, women’s magazine Cosmopolitan reports.
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Romney: The Republicans message to women has been a promise to ensure families a secure hold on finances with steady income to help make ends meet. “In the last four years, women have lost 580,000 jobs,” Romney said, attacking Obama’s record during the second debate. Romney says he’ll increase federal support for child care to make sure mothers can afford a living and daycare.
Abortion and birth control
While Republicans may be targeting women with messages of hope for employment, equality within the workforce and flex time, the party’s pro-life stance may worry some women.
Obama: Pro-choice. He has repeated his support for Roe v. Wade, a Supreme Court ruling that established a woman’s right to an abortion under law. He’s also promising to maintain federal funding for Planned Parenthood, calling a woman’s right to choose a “constitutional right.”
Romney: Pro-life. According to women’s magazine Cosmopolitan, Romney called the Roe v. Wade decision “one of the darkest moments in Supreme Court history.” He’s evaded questions regarding women’s reproductive rights but, overall, is opposed to abortion except in the case of incest, rape and if the woman’s life is in danger, the Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom reports. Cosmopolitan says he’d stop federal funding to Planned Parenthood, but believes access to abortion should be determined by each state.
Equal pay and breaking through the glass ceiling
U.S. representatives have women’s wages on their minds, based on a few pieces of legislation that would offer women protection from pay discrimination.
Obama: The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act was the first bill signed into law by Obama. The statute stems from Ledbetter’s discovery that she was getting paid less than her male coworkers during her career at Goodyear Tire.
Obama has also backed up the Paycheck Fairness Act – two pieces of legislation that help women ensure their wages are equal and provide time to sue for damages if they aren’t. The Fairness Act, however, failed in the Senate last summer. Obama’s campaign also notes that he’s brought women into high level postings – seven members of his 22 member cabinet were women and two of his Supreme Court appointments were too.
Romney: Romney’s proactive stance on women within the workforce was not relayed articulately at the second presidential debate when he referred to “binders full of women.”
Still, Romney has pushed for a “pro-jobs business climate,” suggesting that women need jobs before these jobs can be protected. “Of course Gov. Romney supports pay equity for women,” a spokesperson told AOL. Romney is quick to remind voters that Massachusetts has one of the highest percentages of women holding top state positions.
Health care
It’s up to Americans at the ballot box to have their say on the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare” on Nov. 6. While the Democrats have cautiously pushed forward with the plan, the Republicans are strongly opposed to it, leaving Americans in the middle to decide the fate of the country’s health care system.
Obama: Obamacare is hands down the “biggest legislative achievement” of Obama’s presidency, the Daily Telegraph in the United Kingdom suggests. Obama wants to increase health insurance coverage, subsidize medicare for the poor and implement a mandate that requires Americans to have health insurance.
Romney: Romney has made it clear that if elected, he’ll repeal Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Instead, Romney promotes handing grants to states for Medicaid costs, essentially lessening the brunt of health care expenses state budgets face. He’s encouraging Americans to buy health plans within the market. For senior citizens under the Romney plan, seniors and others in need would receive vouchers to cover the costs of some health plans.
Same-sex marriage
While same-sex marriage is legal in some states, both candidates have said little about the issue.
Obama: For the first time, according to the New York Times, the Democrats included supporting same-sex marriage in their platform. “We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples,” it reads. This agenda has been welcomed by the LGBT community.
Romney: The Republicans have remained steadfast in defining marriage as “the union between one man and one woman.” Romney has said he defends the Defence of Marriage Act, which would preserve this definition under the courts.
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