The Way Forward for Women
By Congresswoman Lisa McClain (MI-09)
The GOP is often dismissed as the party of “old white men,” while the Democrats are seen as the “pro-woman,” pro-abortion party because of their highly progressive agenda. But not every woman is a Democrat, and not all women limit themselves to these so-called “women's” issues.
I think for women, just like men, if you ask, "what is the issue that affects you most?", the economy always tops the list. However, women tend to think and care about the economy as it pertains to their families. We care a great deal about how far our dollar can go. Under President Biden and the Democrats’ agenda, prices are up, real wages are down, and families and women are being left behind.
Women, as a group, face significantly more economic insecurity than men. This is due in large part to the fact that women are more likely to step away from the workforce to care for a child or loved one. Of course, we should never discourage that admirable calling. But the reality is that women who choose to leave the workforce are forgoing $300,000 in wages over a lifetime and will have less money saved for retirement.
The Democrats’ solution to women’s financial difficulties is to give them government handouts. Their policies discourage female independence and self-sufficiency. If Democrats have their way, women will entirely depend on the federal government to pay rent and raise their families. The other solution to these financial concerns that Democrats offer to women is affirmative action, which requires companies to hire women over men. Their platform tells women that they can’t succeed because they are victims of an unjust society. And because they are victims, women can only succeed if the government steps in.
To me, women are more than damsels in distress waiting for the government to save them with quotas, affirmative action, and entitlement benefits.
I don’t believe that women need the government. I believe that American women, whether at the boardroom table or the kitchen table, are some of the most fortunate people who have ever lived. Within them is the power to move our economy and our country forward.
The fact is women now drive the global economy; they control about $20 trillion in annual consumer spending. Women also make over 70 percent of all consumer purchasing decisions and represent the sole source of income in 40 percent of U.S. households.
What women need, and what the GOP agenda has, is free market policies that allow women to make their own choices and advance their financial freedom. Expanding a woman’s economic freedom guarantees her the opportunity to achieve her goals and then own the value she creates. Because economic freedom fosters entrepreneurship, there will be more and better jobs for women available. For countries with more economic freedom, female education rates are higher, greater opportunities exist for women, and income inequality is significantly lower or even non-existent.
While Democrats claim they want gender equality and to close the wage gap, the reality is that they are fighting against the economic system that will best allow women to succeed.
The way forward for women is not with the radical, far-left feminists. The way forward is free markets and entrepreneurship. It’s stepping away from handouts and towards a stable economy with low prices. The way forward for women is with the GOP, toward economic freedom.
Media via Office of Congresswoman Lisa McClain
