What Women Want from Lawmakers

What do women want from lawmakers regarding family, caregiving, and the workplace? Here’s what the YWCA YWomenVote2020 survey found:

• Equal Pay: Ninety percent of the women surveyed said strengthening equal pay laws for women is important for the next president and Congress to address in 2020, with 76 percent saying it’s “very important.” Eighty-two percent of women in their 30s rate equal pay as “very important,” as do 81 percent of women over 65.

While 72 percent of white women said passing equal pay legislation is “very important,” women of color showed even greater intensity of support: 92 percent of Black women, followed by 86 percent of Asian women, 80 percent of Native American women and 75 percent of Latina women rated equal pay “very important.”

• Discrimination-Free Workplaces: Ninety percent of women also said ensuring that workplaces are free of sexual violence, harassment and discrimination are important legislative priorities, with 76 percent saying it’s “very important.”

Eighty-seven percent of Black women and Asian women, the highest shares across racial or ethnic lines, said ensuring discrimimation-free workplaces is “very important.” Women over 65 showed the greatest support by age, with 82 percent saying ending discrimination in the workplace is “very important.”

• A National Paid Family and Medical Leave Program: Eighty-nine percent of all women surveyed said it was important for lawmakers to pass a paid family and medical leave program, with 71 percent saying such legislation is “very important.”

Women in their 30s showed the most intense support for this policy, with 78 percent of women in their 30s and 76 percent of women under 30 saying paid family leave is “very important.” Democratic women also showed the most support, 83 percent, followed by Independent women, 70 percent, saying paid family leave is “very important.” And while a smaller share of Republican women (51 percent) said paid family leave is “very important,” a total of 76 percent rated it as “important.”

More than 80 percent of Black women, Latina women and Asian women said passing a national paid family leave program is “very important.”

• Invest in Affordable, Accessible, High-quality Child Care: Eighty-six percent of women surveyed said ensuring the president and Congress invest in the early care and learning system and caregivers is important, with 64 percent saying it’s “very important.”

Eighty-two percent of Black women rated investing in better child care as “very important.” And 69 percent of rural white, non-college educated women rated investing in child care as “very important,” higher than the overall average. Democratic women showed greater support for child care investments, with 76 percent saying it’s “very important,” followed by 72 percent of Independent women. Forty-five percent of Republican women rated investing in child care “very important,” yet a total of 72 percent said it’s “important.”