Presidential candidates who think “women’s issues” are limited to abortion rights and equal pay are sorely mistaken, according to the results of a new survey released Wednesday by the Ms. Foundation for Women.
“While just 16 percent of respondents identified as ‘feminist’ without hearing a definition of the word, that proportion jumped to 52 percent once the term was defined as ‘a belief in political, economic, and social equality across genders.'”
“This survey tells us that policymakers, community leaders, and movements must change the way we approach problems and issues,” said Ms. Foundation president and CEO Teresa C. Younger. “Women do not lead single-issue lives. For instance, access to birth control and abortion is impacted by income level, racial and cultural bias, gender discrimination and immigrant status. We must implement policies and build movements that address the totality of women’s lives, rather than creating a patchwork of silos.”
The survey results were publicized Wednesday to coincide with Women’s Equality Day, the national holiday commemorating passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Among the poll’s more intriguing findings was that while just 16 percent of respondents identified as “feminist” without hearing a definition of the word, that proportion jumped to 52 percent once the term was defined as “a belief in political, economic, and social equality across genders.”
“When people understand that a feminist believes in political, economic, and social equality across genders, the majority identify as feminists,” said Younger. “We have to do a better job of defining our movements for equality—rather than letting detractors define us. We also must work to address issues where they intersect—not in isolation.”
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