Whether you lean toward Blue or Red State candidates, I’m betting you’ll join me in the Happy Happy dance when Election-related robo-calls and ads on TV, radio, print, billboards and online are DONE and OVER. If you don't have children, did so much chatter about Moms, single and otherwise, leave you feeling a bit left out? “Ain’t I a woman?” asked (NotMom) Sojourner Truth.
Unearthing stats on how women without children may affect the choice of America’s next President was a time-consuming task. Previous polls have declared an overall preference among women for Mr. Obama, but the devil’s in the details. I finally found something useful in a piece by global trendcaster Joel Kotkin, whose study of the 2012 electorate concludes:
“A growing part of the Democratic base — aside from ethnic minorities — consists of white, childless couples and, in particular, single women.”
Mr. Kotkin revealed that areas of the country with the fewest children were nearly 85% more likely to vote for Barack Obama in 2008 and will probably vote that way this year, too. Tracking NotMoms age 45 and under, the research shows the high highest percentage are in urban Democratic strongholds like Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and New York. Childless women in those cities rank well above the national average of 53% with a minimum of 60%.
States with higher-than-average percentages include Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Vermont and California. In the nation’s capital, 80% of women under 45 have no kids. Well, D.C. always was a party town.
Do I believe that every American woman without children is voting for President Obama and Democratic candidates? No. “Everybody” never does what others in their peer group does, from African Americans to military veterans.
Moreover, in this election year especially, there’s more to consider. If NotMoms vote Democratic, how to parse out votes made in reaction to perceived threats to legalized abortion or bizarre misstatements about the horrors of rape? “Binders full of women”?
Bottom line? From local courthouses to the White House, your vote matters. Vote for who you want, but please, VOTE.
Jean Williams
10:13 pm on Friday, November 9, 2012
Karen I do not see why the fact you have no kids needs to be the basis behind your blogs. I have read many of your blogs in the past and without trying to insult you, I really think you need therapy since you seem to be bothered that you are childless
Mars
10:10 am on Saturday, November 10, 2012
Maybe you need the therapy since you're bothered that she blogs about women who are "not-moms".
Garry Kanter
12:04 am on Saturday, November 10, 2012
It cracks me up to read the recurring comments to this blog that always go:
"Ms. Wright, don't you know that you're supposed to be invisible?"
I guess women without kids are the new "safe" minority to treat like crap?
Why can't we all just get along?
Karen Malone Wright
1:56 pm on Monday, November 12, 2012
Thanks to Rex, and esp Garry, who really gets the point. Jean may not know that my posts on Patch are selected from my website, TheNotMom.com. It's not bitterness that allows me to notice that the world pays more attention to the 4/5 of women who are Moms, even while the number of childless women rises. More women w/o children are finding their voice online, particularly those who chose a childfree life. TheNotMom.com is one of the few sites embracing every woman in the spectrum, and attracts hundreds of readers across the US and abroad.
Garry Kanter
2:12 pm on Monday, November 12, 2012
It's a pleasure making your acquaintance.