Women's issues key in 2012 election
Published: April 16, 2012
Whether spoken during election season or viewed on the local airwaves, its seems the past few months have been laden with women's issues.
Presidential candidates have discussed access to birth control and debated women's roles in the military as they travel around the United States on the campaign trail.
Even locally, women's issues are being spotlighted. Just this year, two made-for-women programs were launched by Hazleton television stations.
This isn't the first time that women's issues have received so much attention, said Eileen Morgan, English instructor at Penn State University's Hazleton campus. Candidates have incorporated women's topics into campaigns before.
"The issue that seems to be most discussed right now is women's health care and what should or should not be covered or required to be covered by employers based on those employers' religious affiliations," said Morgan, who also teaches a Women in the Arts and Humanities course at Penn State. "Lesbian women are also particularly concerned with gay marriage issues being discussed. The right to abortion is another issue that many women are concerned about as well."
She added that many women are "very concerned with the health care coverage issues and control over their own reproduction." And they're angered by the inflammatory comments conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh made about Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke after she testified before Congress about contraception for college students.
And while the issues are hitting a nerve, Morgan believes the 2008 presidential election saw more female influence.
"I think the last election featured a number of powerful women voicing concerns and having a major impact on what happened in the election - Sarah Palin, Hilary Clinton, Michelle Obama, and even Tina Fey's voice -were powerful and important. This election I see a lot of talk 'about' women but not actually 'by' women," she explained. "I think women had more say in the last election than this one.
"Congresswomen were walking out of the hearings after no women were allowed to speak in the health care hearing examining employers being required to provide coverage for contraception and full female health care. This election year is all about women, but without having powerful female voices in the forefront of the discussion."
"Whether they like it or not, yes, women's issues are being highlighted by candidates," said Dr. Thomas Baldino, political science professor at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre. "Rush Limbaugh managed to inject himself into the debate about contraception, and (presidential) candidates were then forced to discuss the issue for better or for worse."
A Gallup poll released earlier this month hints that women's issues are hurting Republican candidates because the issues are so divisive, he said.
Baldino said the "most visible" and "most controversial" issue, Baldino said, is contraception because of its ability to unite or divide. And while contraception is the hot button issue, women are also concerned about "the glass ceiling that they experience in the workplace" and provisions of the health care law introduced under President Barack Obama, he noted.
"They're interested in lifetime limits, caps on insurance, extending health care coverage to kids under 26," Baldino said. "These are issues that women see as important to families."
Presidential elections are no strangers to women's issues, however. Women's rights were discussed in the 1960s and 1970s, and 1992 was named "The Year of the Woman" after a number of female senators were elected, he recalled.
Debbie Lesante, host of "The Girls" on SSPTV Channel 13 in Hazleton, said she developed the idea of a women's talk show years ago. "The Girls" debuted in January - a time when "everything just fit into place," Lesante said.
"The concept of the show is women of different generations getting together to talk about what's on their minds," Lesante said. Viewers can easily relate to the topics, she said.
She and her three co-hosts discuss "light and refreshing" subjects ranging from holiday traditions to tattoos, to more serious topics like cosmetic surgery and hot flashes. They're the kind of topics she could picture discussing with her mother, aunts, female friends and cousins.
"When I was a girl, we lived in a row home, and our aunts and uncles lived nearby," she said. "All of the women would get together on the porch or in the kitchen and just talk. No one ever had to see a psychiatrist. Nobody was on pills because we had that support system."
"Women Today" began airing in February on WYLN-35 in Hazleton.
Liz Tolan, the show's producer and co-creator, said 15 shows were booked in a short period of time.
"So obviously it's something the area has been looking for for a while," she said.
"Women Today" focuses on topics like surviving abuse and breaking free; divorce and infidelity, aging and acceptance and permanent cosmetics. Experts from the community are brought in to discuss topics with Tolan and her three co-hosts.
"Everything is relevant to women," she said, noting that the show is produced in cooperation with the Greater Hazleton Health Alliance. "We try to bring in the best we can find. We stay true to the topic, and there is not a lot of chatter per se. When you watch the show it is very rich in info."
And the Penn State Hazleton campus recently wrapped up its Sixth Annual Symposium on Contemporary Women's Issues. The event is funded through an endowment by local businesswomen E. Lee Beard and is designed to engage women's interest in topics related to professional and personal development, said Tracey Morgan Chopick, chairwoman of the event's committee and assistant financial officer at Penn State.
Morgan Chopick said the symposium focuses on a different theme each year and all women are encouraged to support and attend the free event.
"Women face unique challenges in life. As women and educators, we need to pass our knowledge and expertise onto other women," Morgan Chopick said. "The Women's Symposium empowers women to be successful in both their personal and professional lives."
Presidential candidates have discussed access to birth control and debated women's roles in the military as they travel around the United States on the campaign trail.
Even locally, women's issues are being spotlighted. Just this year, two made-for-women programs were launched by Hazleton television stations.
This isn't the first time that women's issues have received so much attention, said Eileen Morgan, English instructor at Penn State University's Hazleton campus. Candidates have incorporated women's topics into campaigns before.
"The issue that seems to be most discussed right now is women's health care and what should or should not be covered or required to be covered by employers based on those employers' religious affiliations," said Morgan, who also teaches a Women in the Arts and Humanities course at Penn State. "Lesbian women are also particularly concerned with gay marriage issues being discussed. The right to abortion is another issue that many women are concerned about as well."
She added that many women are "very concerned with the health care coverage issues and control over their own reproduction." And they're angered by the inflammatory comments conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh made about Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke after she testified before Congress about contraception for college students.
And while the issues are hitting a nerve, Morgan believes the 2008 presidential election saw more female influence.
"I think the last election featured a number of powerful women voicing concerns and having a major impact on what happened in the election - Sarah Palin, Hilary Clinton, Michelle Obama, and even Tina Fey's voice -were powerful and important. This election I see a lot of talk 'about' women but not actually 'by' women," she explained. "I think women had more say in the last election than this one.
"Congresswomen were walking out of the hearings after no women were allowed to speak in the health care hearing examining employers being required to provide coverage for contraception and full female health care. This election year is all about women, but without having powerful female voices in the forefront of the discussion."
"Whether they like it or not, yes, women's issues are being highlighted by candidates," said Dr. Thomas Baldino, political science professor at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre. "Rush Limbaugh managed to inject himself into the debate about contraception, and (presidential) candidates were then forced to discuss the issue for better or for worse."
A Gallup poll released earlier this month hints that women's issues are hurting Republican candidates because the issues are so divisive, he said.
Baldino said the "most visible" and "most controversial" issue, Baldino said, is contraception because of its ability to unite or divide. And while contraception is the hot button issue, women are also concerned about "the glass ceiling that they experience in the workplace" and provisions of the health care law introduced under President Barack Obama, he noted.
"They're interested in lifetime limits, caps on insurance, extending health care coverage to kids under 26," Baldino said. "These are issues that women see as important to families."
Presidential elections are no strangers to women's issues, however. Women's rights were discussed in the 1960s and 1970s, and 1992 was named "The Year of the Woman" after a number of female senators were elected, he recalled.
Debbie Lesante, host of "The Girls" on SSPTV Channel 13 in Hazleton, said she developed the idea of a women's talk show years ago. "The Girls" debuted in January - a time when "everything just fit into place," Lesante said.
"The concept of the show is women of different generations getting together to talk about what's on their minds," Lesante said. Viewers can easily relate to the topics, she said.
She and her three co-hosts discuss "light and refreshing" subjects ranging from holiday traditions to tattoos, to more serious topics like cosmetic surgery and hot flashes. They're the kind of topics she could picture discussing with her mother, aunts, female friends and cousins.
"When I was a girl, we lived in a row home, and our aunts and uncles lived nearby," she said. "All of the women would get together on the porch or in the kitchen and just talk. No one ever had to see a psychiatrist. Nobody was on pills because we had that support system."
"Women Today" began airing in February on WYLN-35 in Hazleton.
Liz Tolan, the show's producer and co-creator, said 15 shows were booked in a short period of time.
"So obviously it's something the area has been looking for for a while," she said.
"Women Today" focuses on topics like surviving abuse and breaking free; divorce and infidelity, aging and acceptance and permanent cosmetics. Experts from the community are brought in to discuss topics with Tolan and her three co-hosts.
"Everything is relevant to women," she said, noting that the show is produced in cooperation with the Greater Hazleton Health Alliance. "We try to bring in the best we can find. We stay true to the topic, and there is not a lot of chatter per se. When you watch the show it is very rich in info."
And the Penn State Hazleton campus recently wrapped up its Sixth Annual Symposium on Contemporary Women's Issues. The event is funded through an endowment by local businesswomen E. Lee Beard and is designed to engage women's interest in topics related to professional and personal development, said Tracey Morgan Chopick, chairwoman of the event's committee and assistant financial officer at Penn State.
Morgan Chopick said the symposium focuses on a different theme each year and all women are encouraged to support and attend the free event.
"Women face unique challenges in life. As women and educators, we need to pass our knowledge and expertise onto other women," Morgan Chopick said. "The Women's Symposium empowers women to be successful in both their personal and professional lives."
Read more: http://standardspeaker.com/news/women-s-issues-key-in-2012-election-1.1300610#ixzz1sDb6G3Nq
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