Obama and the Women's Vote
Eight Million More Women than Men Voted for Obama
Nationally it is estimated that Senator Obama received 35,900,000 votes from women and 27,800,00 from men. He benefited by emphasizing issues that were important to women and their families.
Obama Benefits from Women's Vote
The results of the election for President of the United States held on November show that 56 percent of women voted for Barack Obama compared with 49 percent of men. According to Dr. Heida Hartmand, founder of the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR), "This 7-point gender gap combined with women's greater turnout was a major factor in the election's result. The same is true in some key battleground states, where women were also the majority of voters."
Gender Gaps Comparisons
The gender gap appears to have influenced elections is 2000 and 2004.
- 2000: The gender gap was 10 percentage points with 53 percent of of men versus 43 percent of women voting for Bush while while 42 percent of men and 54 percent of women voted for Al Gore.
- 2004: The gender gap was 7 percentage points, with 55 percent of men versus 48 percent of women voting for Bush and 44 percent of men and 51 percent of women voting for John Kerry.
While the percentage points gender difference in votes for the winner in 2004 equaled that in 2008, Obama benefited from a larger share of women's votes than did Kerry.
Reasons Women Supported Obama
According to Dr. Vicky Lowell, IPR's Acting Director, their research has shown that women feel more anxiety over financial burdens and their overall economic well-being than men. In women's perceptions, Obama was:
- Better equipped to deal with the nation's economic ills;
- Projected empathy for women's financial struggles;
- Understood how hard it can be to keep a job today while caring for families;
- Understood that women are more economically vulnerable than men;
- Offered hope while acknowledging women's struggles.
- Aware of the need for pay equity and work/life balanced policies.
- In touch with the need for expanded health insurance for children.
It appeared to women that Obama was proposing concrete policy solutions to the issues that they felt were most important.
Latina Women Important in 2008
The importance of Latina women was especially evident in state like New Mexico where the gender gap with 7 percentage points as nearly three out of four of them voted for Barack Obama compared with about two to three Latino men. The women were one quarter of voters in the state compared with Latino men who made up 16 percent of voters.
This election shows that women should not be taken for granted. As Obama has shown, according to Dr. Barbara Gault, IWPR's Acting President, "Candidates who speak in an intentional and sincere manner to the issues that concern women most will win their support."
Women Voting
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