Working Women

In response to Linda Hirshman's "Out of the GOP Big Tent, Back to the Kitchen" (Column Left, July 12): I agree with her contention that the GOP is undermining itself by failing to support its working women. However, Hirshman fails to illustrate that Mary Matalin and other working Republican women are part of the problem because they do not confront their own party politicos, fearing that they will be perceived as antagonistic. Frankly, I do not see a problem, if the GOP wants to self-destruct, let it. Why should the public be concerned with saving the Republican Party, if the party itself is not concerned?

In proclaiming March as Women's History Month, President Obama stated that "too many women feel the weight of discrimination on their shoulders. " Liberals often make this claim, citing the fact that women earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, and call for stronger protection against gender-based discrimination by employers. Conservatives typically respond by pointing out that men and women tend to make different choices about occupation, working hours and whether to take time off from the labor force.

J.C. Penney Co. Inc. management looked around 3 1/2 years ago and realized that women in senior positions were few, even though the company caters mostly to women. So, responding to a management request, Gale Duff-Bloom, associate director of merchandising, assembled a Women's Advisory Committee that included employees from all areas of the company. Now Penney has four additional women in senior positions and the retailer has implemented diversity training for store managers and executives.

Governments looking to jump-start their GDP should look to women, especially as the current working population ages, according to a new report from a key global group. Narrowing the gender gap will help countries become more productive, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or the OECD. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, women continue to struggle to break the glass ceiling, balance a job with motherhood and sustain careers as long as men. The average female worker earns 16% less than a male counterpart, according to the OECD report.

Everyone in Germany knows the rabenmutter. The word translates as "raven mother" and is used to describe the kind of woman who places her toddler in day care so that she can go back to work, the implication being that she is unloving, selfish and heartless.

Working women take about one more sick day a year than men, the National Center for Health Statistics reported in a new study Monday. Women averaged 5.5 lost work days a year, compared to 4.3 for men, in the analysis covering 1983 through 1985. John Gary Collins, one of the authors, declined to speculate on reasons for the difference, saying "there could be many possibilities." He said comparative figures for men and women, which the National Center for Health Statistics had not collected before, were included in its new study because women now comprise such a large portion of the work force.

Spurred by the new hit movie thriller, "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle," the news media have found another horror story from the lives of working women: The Au Pair Girl from Hell. The film, about a nanny who seduces a husband and terrorizes a child, spawned network TV and print stories with scary headlines like Newsweek's "Nervous About Nannies." Reporters beat the bushes to find a minuscule number of cases where baby sitters abused--and in one case killed--a child.

Am I the only woman in L.A. who thinks Jim Sanderson (author of the Wednesday column Liberated Male) is about as "liberated" as Archie Bunker? It seems to me that his world is populated solely by men who bust their guts supporting women, and women who sit back doing their nails and nursing grudges about child-support checks. Earth-to-Sanderson: Working women constitute a majority of the adult female population in this country. Many of these women are also mothers, and many of the mothers are single mothers into the bargain.

Working women take about one more sick day per year than men, the National Center for Health Statistics reported in a new study today. Women averaged 5.5 lost work days per year, compared to 4.3 missed days for men, in the analysis covering 1983 through 1985. John Gary Collins, one of the authors, declined to speculate on reasons for the difference, saying "there could be many possibilities." He said that comparative figures for men and women, which the National Center for Health Statistics had not collected before, were included in its new study because women now make up such a large portion of the work force.

Working Women: The Subterranean World of Street Prostitution by Arlene Carmen and Howard Moody (Bessie/Harper & Row: $16.50) Howard Moody is senior minister of the Judson Memorial Church. Arlene Carmen is program associate on the Prostitute Project, a program designed to bring needed medical assistance to New York City's streetwalkers and to learn about their lives.

WASHINGTON -- Two videos unearthed in the wake of the back-and-forth between Republicans and Democrats over the “war on women” provide more background on presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's past views on working women. The search for the footage was sparked by Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen's appearance Wednesday on CNN, in which she claimed that Ann Romney “never worked a day in her life.” Her opinion drew a sharp rebuke from Democrats and Republicans alike.

Rick Santorum, who is enjoying a surge in fundraising and attention after winning three states last week in the battle for the GOP presidential nomination, pushed back Sunday against the idea that his socially conservative views will alienate working women. The former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania also minimized Mitt Romney's victory in Saturday's straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, implying that the Romney forces had somehow rigged the win. “For years, Ron Paul's won those because he just trucks in a lot of people, pays for their ticket, and they come in and vote and then they leave,” Santorum told CNN's Candy Crowley.

Rick Santorum, still enjoying a surge in fundraising and attention after winning three states last week in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination, pushed back Sunday against the idea that his socially conservative views could alienate working women. Many pundits have suggested that Santorum's views on gay marriage, abortion, contraception and working women could present formidable obstacles in attracting moderate and independent voters if he were to become the GOP nominee.

After 25 years working as an accounting assistant in a leading construction company, Asako Nakano decided two summers ago that she needed to stabilize her retirement plans. So she took the plunge and bought a condominium. "The decision to put almost all my savings into a home for myself was a bit daunting, but I never hesitated," said the friendly, confident single woman. "I thought to myself, I am never going to get married, so why not invest in my future? It made sense to me."

Trish Heckman, a 49-year-old restaurant cook and disappointed Hillary Rodham Clinton supporter, watched last week as the country's newest political star made her explosive debut. She followed the news when John McCain introduced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, paid attention to the raging debate over her qualifications, even tuned in to watch her dramatic speech at the Republican convention. But when it came down to an issue Heckman really cares about -- sending a daughter to college on $10.50 an hour -- her desire to see a woman reach the White House took a back seat to her depleted savings account.

Judith Meuli, a feminist organizer who helped found the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women and the Feminist Majority Foundation, died Friday at her home in the San Fernando Valley. She was 69. The cause was multiple myeloma, according to Peg Yorkin, a longtime colleague in the feminist movement.

Wendy Leece's letter (July 9) gave me the chills--not because Mrs. Leece has chosen the life style of a full-time homemaker but because she and her 200 friends who "have no intention of working outside the home" appear to be ignoring the reality that at some time most of them will be forced by necessity to contribute to their own support and that of their families. Statistics tell us that a majority of those women, due either to divorce or the death or disability of their spouses, will need to become financially productive.

"The Golden Girls" scores high points for its portrayal of older women but those on "Dynasty" and "Falcon Crest" "seem oblivious to their age" in an unrealistic way, a new TV study says.

Many highly qualified women take a detour from their career paths because of personal responsibilities. But when they want to resume their jobs, they might find themselves stalled. Developing workplace policies and practices that help them get back on track is the focus of Sylvia Ann Hewlett's book "Off-Ramps and On-Ramps." To attract talent, she says, companies must work harder to retain women professionals. Diversity increases a business' competitive edge.

A gender gap is growing in the Democratic presidential race, and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton aims to widen it into a chasm. Armed with mounting evidence that women are providing her a strong foundation in the crucial early months of the run-up to next year's primaries, Clinton's campaign is trying to organize almost every aspect of the Democratic women's voting bloc -- including lining up the support of feminist elites and stoking excitement in teenage political neophytes.