Women account for 40 percent of Clinton’s “bundlers”--the
top fund-raises who pull in donations from others. Oxygen’s
former chief executive, Ms. Laybourne, hosted a cocktail party
in her Manhattan apartment for women in media, including Diane
Robina, president of emerging networks for Comcast Corp. and
Sara Levinson, a publishing-unit heard at Rodale Inc.
“There’s a sisterhood solidarity going on here,” says Ms.
Caputo, who served as press secretary for Clinton when she
was First Lady.
Clinton’s financial transparency is also lending her credibility
and building trust among female voters. According to the article
“How Voters May React to the Clintons’ $109 Million Income,”
American voters don’t begrudge wealthy candidates their money
because many aspire to wealth themselves.
“The Clintons’ have now made public 30 years of tax returns,
a record matched by few people in public service, said Clinton
campaign spokesman Jay Carson in a statement. “None of Hillary
Clinton’s presidential opponents have revealed anything close
to this amount of personal financial information.”
Clinton also scored endorsements from high-profile women’s
political organizations, including Emily’s List and the National
Organization for Women, which laud her efforts to champion
for women’s rights. The National Organization of Women (NOW)
endorsed Clinton for her demonstrated commitment to protecting
women’s right to choose. Clinton has expanded access to family
planning services and spoke out forcefully against the Supreme
Court’s April 2007 decision that failed to recognize the importance
of women’s health. According to NOW’s website, Clinton has
“eloquently articulated the need for full economic, political
and social equality for workers to advance the civil and human
rights of women and girls”.
Gender is not the only reason many of America’s women are
actively endorsing the female candidate. Clinton’s policy
positions on labor, education, healthcare and work-life balance
are driving business women to support her campaign. Today,
despite the progress women have made toward equality, they
earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn, with women of color
earning even less.
Clinton has long been a champion for equal pay for women.
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, of which Senator Clinton
is an original cosponsor, would reestablish a fair rule for
filing claims of pay discrimination based on race, national
origin, gender, religion, age or disability.
“We thought we had ended discrimination in the workplace
against women when the Equal Pay Act was passed all those
years ago,” said Clinton. “But clearly, we have not finished
the business of guaranteeing equality in the workplace: fair
and equal pay for those who do the same jobs.”
Clinton also introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act, which
would take critical steps to empower women to negotiate for
equal pay, to create strong incentive for employers to obey
the Equal Pay Act and to strengthen federal enforcement efforts.
Clinton’s plan for preparing America’s youth for jobs of
tomorrow includes more science, education and innovation that
she says “must begin before kindergarten and extend through
college, and a lifetime retraining.” According to the organization
Business Women for Hillary, this is important “for one of
our biggest challenges in business--hiring qualified employees.”
Clinton’s plans for affordable and accessible healthcare
are also attracting businesswomen, especially small business
owners. While small businesses are an engine of job growth,
they face many challenges when it comes to providing healthcare
for their employees. Clinton’s proposal would give tax credits
to small businesses that provide healthcare to their workers
to help defray their coverage costs.
Many women still assume the responsibility of primary caretaker
for their children and elderly parents. For these working
women juggling many responsibilities, Clinton’s plans to help
families achieve a better work-life balance are especially
appealing. She also plans to extend the Family Medical Leave
Act, which enables new parents to take time off without loosing
their jobs.
“With sound policies and sensible investments, we can give
parents more choices to make the decisions that are best for
them,” Clinton said. “We can make life a little easier for
everyone-for mothers and fathers-to do the most important
job there is in any society: raising and nurturing the next
generation.”
Clinton also promotes telecommuting by encouraging its use
at federal agencies and planning to invest up to $50 million
annually in local and state initiatives. Telecommuting provides
flexibility for employees and allows employers to reduce increasing
office space demands.
If Clinton clinches the Democratic nomination in August,
women—especially women in business-- will be largely to thank.
The National Association of Business Women and Moms (NABWM)
is an online initiative to help business women become successful.
Their organization provides extensive research about business
women and professional women in the workplace, and a free
directory of home business ideas. For more details, visit
www.businesswomen.org
