Unmarried women and men are an undeniable political force today. Of the 126 million Americans who voted in the last general election, a record 39% were unmarried, representing a 15% increase since the 1972 election, according to Census data.
In her new book, “All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation”, author Rebecca Traister highlights ways single women have already changed the political landscape.
“The practicalities of female life independent of marriage give rise to demands for pay equity, paid family leave, a higher minimum wage, universal pre-K, lowered college costs, more affordable health care, and broadly accessible reproductive rights; many of these are issues that have, for years, been considered too risky to be central to mainstream Democratic conversation, yet they are policies today supported by both Democratic candidates for president.”
The reasons unmarried Americans might care more deeply about issues like housing, health care and childcare should be obvious — without a partner to shoulder the burden of these expenses, it can be staggeringly difficult to get by. In many parts of the country, paying for monthly childcare is the equivalent of taking on a second mortgage. Pre-Affordable Care Act, if a single parent lost her job, she would have no spouse’s health benefits to rely on. The U.S. is still one of the only developed countries that doesn’t require paid maternity and paternity leave for workers, which makes it costly for single parents to take time off after having a new child if they don't work for a company that offers this perk.
Of course, just because someone is unmarried doesn’t mean they are single (more than 7 million households are run by unmarried couples). But there’s no denying that single-parent households are on the rise. One in four households are led by single mothers (three times as many as in 1960), and single dads make up another 6%, according to the Pew Research Center.
As a country, we are moving away from the traditional household model. But looking at some of their proposed policies, today’s presidential candidates seem stuck in the past. I decided to examine the major issues that can impact single people today and determine which of the narrowed field of Republican and Democratic candidates have their best interests in mind. The issues I chose: family leave/childcare; health care; education; affordable housing; and women’s rights/equal pay. I briefly laid out each candidate’s position and (very subjectively) decided which stance benefits single voters.
First up...the Republicans. Click here to see our Democrat pick >
REPUBLICANS
CHILD CARE and FAMILY LEAVE
Donald Trump: Trump has released no official stance on child care or family leave reform and hasn’t said much if anything about it on the campaign trail.
Ted Cruz: The Texas senator isn’t a fan of instituting a paid family and sick leave federal mandate. “I think maternity leave and paternity leave are wonderful things. I support them personally,” he said at a campaign stop in Iowa last fall. “But I don’t think the federal government should be in the business of mandating them.”
John Kasich: Kasich is against paid family leave. He told voters at a campaign stop in January that women don’t need additional paid leave. They should be able to work from home instead. “The one thing we need to do for working women is to give them the flexibility to be able to work at home online,” he said. “The reason why that’s important is, when women take maternity leave or time to be with the children, then what happens is they fall behind on the experience level, which means that the pay becomes a differential.”
The winner: With all three candidates pooh-poohing the need for paid family leave, it’s hard to call any of them a winner, so we’ll call it a tie. The number of single parents today has tripled since 1960 and childcare costs have soared to more than $11,000 per year. It’s unconscionable that candidates wouldn’t see the benefit in giving working moms and dads an extra boost.
HEALTHCARE
Trump: In an interview with CNN, Trump once promised he would replace Obamacare with “something terrific” but stayed mum on details for months before publishing his 7-point health care plan in early March. Trump’s plan would allow individuals to deduct health insurance premiums from their tax returns and require healthcare providers to post prices for services publicly so consumers can shop around more easily. He’d also like to expand access to Health Savings Accounts for people stuck with high deductibles.
Cruz: Cruz has been one of the most vocal opponents of the ACA and has also vowed to repeal it. Like Trump, he wants to allow individuals to buy insurance across state lines and expand HSAs. He also wants to “de-link” insurance from employment, so people can carry their coverage with them even if they lose a job.
Kasich: Kasich has been singing the same tune when it comes to the ACA: Repeal, repeal, repeal. But he made a big departure from this stance earlier this year when he decided to expand Medicaid under the ACA in his homestate of Ohio. Kasich defended his decision from critics in the GOP, telling reporters: “I am for repealing Obamacare...but expanding Medicaid at this point, bringing our dollars back, is working. It’s saving money and it’s saving lives. And that’s what really matters at the end of the day.”
The winner: I’ve got to give this one to Kasich, because at least he wasn’t willing to let politics get in the way of delivering much-needed healthcare to consumers, despite the damage it might do to his reputation among conservatives.
I’m not a fan of any plan to abolish the ACA (which is working whether they like it or not) because of the benefits it affords individuals in need of health care. The ACA provides the kind of services that should matter deeply to singles — available health coverage if you don’t have a spouse to rely on for benefits, maternity benefits and guaranteed access to preventative care for women like birth control, mammograms, HPV testing and even domestic violence counseling. With health care policies like these coming from Republican candidates, it’s easy to see why women lean left and single women especially so.
WOMEN’S RIGHTS
Trump: Trump is pro-life but supports abortion in cases of rape, incest or if the life of the mother is at risk. He has vocally supported Planned Parenthood, but has said he wouldn’t support federal funding of the group if it provides abortions. He hasn’t issued a clear stance on equal pay.
Cruz: He is pro-life but does not mention any clear position on equal pay. He’s said in interviews he’s fine with current federal law regarding equal pay and gender discrimination and wants women to be treated fairly in the workplace.
Kasich: Surprise, surprise: also pro-life, Kasich says abortions in his homestate of Ohio have dropped to a record low during his six years as governor. He’s also done just about everything in his power to stop federal funding of Planned Parenthood and state funding for abortions at public Ohio hospitals. To reduce abortions, he’s also worked to streamline the adoption process in Ohio and created the first-ever state funding stream for rape crisis centers to provide services to women in need. There’s no mention of equal pay or the gender wage gap on Kasich’s campaign website.
The winner: Let’s call it a tie. They seem fine with the status quo on pay equality despite the fact that the wage gap has remained stubbornly unchanged for decades. Also, if you’re a woman (married or unmarried) seeking full control over her familiy planning abilities, you’re out of luck with these candidates.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Trump: Trump hasn’t issued an official policy on affordable housing.
Cruz: Cruz is vociferously against federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which he says he would shut down if elected. “Rather than perpetuating poverty and trapping families in dangerous communities and under-achieving school districts, we must empower people to rise out of dire circumstances,” he says. Notably, he wants to reform Section 8, a HUD program that gives private landlords a subsidy that allows them to rent apartments and homes at fair market rates to qualified low-income tenants.
Kasich: Kasich hasn’t issued an official policy stance on affordable housing.
The Winner: Cruz, purely because he’s the only one who seems to have given affordable housing much thought.
EDUCATION
Trump: Trump has no proposed plan for college affordability or student loan reform. He has been critical of federal government profiting from federal student loans, however.
Cruz: He has no proposed plan for college affordability or student loan reform.
Kasich: Kasich doesn’t have a detailed plan to lower the cost of college but mostly highlights his efforts in Ohio to curb costs. Those efforts have included a two-year tuition freeze and a revamped performance-based formula the state uses to determine funding for public institutions. The idea is that if students aren’t completing degrees, schools should get less state funding.
The winner: Kasich, because at least he has a shadow of a plan. It would be nice to see a plan from some of these candidates on how to help college graduates who are out there struggling to pay off their student debt. Why is education so important to singles? Looking specifically at single parents, the majority of whom are women, affordable education is more important than ever. Most single moms tend to be younger minorities without a college degree, which we can all agree (I hope) is the best path to upward mobility.
Overall winner:
Kasich with a score of 4 out of 5.
But, at least when it comes to the 5 issues I focused on, there’s little to like in the Republican pool for unmarried voters out there. This could change as the election year progresses if Trump and Cruz expand their proposals on issues important to singles like education, housing and child care/family leave.
