What women want

Regardless of the results of the presidential election next week, voters will be looking to their president to address and solve the country's key economic issues. For most young women, solutions include lowering taxes and cutting federal spending. According to a survey by Generation Opportunity, a nonprofit organization that engages young Americans on important economic matters, 77% of women 18 to 29 would decrease federal spending. Sixty-one percent of the group said that the economy grows best when individuals can create businesses without government interference. In addition, fully 68% said that lowering taxes on business earnings would encourage businesses to hire more. Overall, 69% said they think that lower taxes would lead to faster economic growth. Generation Opportunity conducted the online survey July 27-30 among 1,003 adults; 49% of the respondents were women. “I think it's insulting to women to be addressed as just caring about a narrow band of issues. Women care about the same issues as men,” said Amber Roseboom, executive vice president at Generation Opportunity. Although the Labor Department reported a 7.8% national unemployment rate last month, the rate for young women was 11.6%. “When you're in an environment with a very bad economy with historic levels of consistent unemployment, it's not surprising at all that women say they care most about good-quality jobs and the economy,” Ms. Roseboom said. Seventy-eight percent of the young women responding said that they plan to vote next week.