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Statement

STATEMENT OF Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising, On the Candidates Not Addressing Issues Important to U.S. Women and Mothers in Last Night’s Presidential Debate

October 3, 2012
MomsVote

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

“Let's face it: Last night both Governor Romney and President Obama missed a chance to win over women and mom voters.  After the debate, we were left scratching our heads wondering how the the preset debate agenda items titled, ‘Economy I, Economy II, and Economy III’ could have left out women, children, and families when women are holding up our economy.  Fair pay, the price of child care, and a lack of paid leave to care for children and the elderly are among the key economic issues in women’s and mothers’ daily lives.  Any discussion about the economy that leaves out women, moms, and families fails to hit the mark. 
 
“Moms, and the issues we face, shouldn't be relegated to 30-second TV ads.  We demand that the candidates talk about real life, daily economic issues impacting women and families, like the cost of childcare, the need for paid family leave, sick days and pay equity for women. We need to hear common-sense solutions to address issues facing immigrant families, and the lack of investment in our nation's children in future debates.
 
“The candidates’ failure to mention issues crucial to the lives of women and mothers in the United States indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of the value of women in the economy.  Women are projected to create more than half of the 9.72 million expected new small business jobs by 2018.   Three-quarters of moms are in the labor force, and half of them are the primary breadwinner.  And since over 80 percent of women in our nation have children by the time they're 44 years old, kids are a big part of the equation too.
 
“Women and moms across the country are signing an open letter, to be delivered directly to both campaigns before the next debate, urging President Obama and Governor Romney to speak directly to the economic issues that impact women, moms, families and kids in upcoming debates.” 
 
Sign on to MomsRising's letter here. 
 

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.