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| Below is the newest installation of Research News Reporter (RNR) Online. Each month a new edition will be posted. Previous editions can be viewed in the Archives. |
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January 6, 2004 |
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IWPR’s
Research News Reporter is distributed monthly to highlight inventive,
informative, innovative, and sometimes controversial research relating
to women and their families. Each selection includes a short description
of the research and either a link to the report itself or a citation. We
sometimes include short pieces in their entirety. In
this edition:
1.
Does Women’s Representation in Elected Office Lead to Women-Friendly
Policy? Analysis of State-Level Data In
this article, the author examines the relationship between women’s
representation and women-friendly policies across the states while
controlling for several factors including voter turnout, institutional
resources for women, attitudes toward women’s roles, labor force
participation, and the strength of the two major political parties. The
research identifies a process in which party dominance and attitudes
about women in politics influence levels of women’s representation;
women’s representation and party dominance then influence levels of
women-friendly policy. Please
contact Justine Augeri at IWPR (augeri@iwpr.org)
for a reprint. 2. The Status of Women in Your County: A Community Research
Tool IWPR and the James A. and Faith Knight Foundation have produced a new resource for measuring and tracking the status of women in local communities. This tool is intended to build the capacity among community groups to assess and track the status of women in their regions. It provides instructions for finding and presenting information on the status of women at the county level. The tool uses a question-and-answer format to help users find and process county-level data for indicators in six topic areas: basic demographics, political participation, employment and earnings, social and economic autonomy, reproductive rights, and health and well-being. The tool also discusses how to write a report based on the data and how to ensure that the information has an impact on policy and programs. See also the companion report “Assessing the Status of Women at the County Level: A Manual for Researchers and Advocates.”
3. Are You Better Off? 2004 Year in Review This report reviews and analyzes public policy initiatives of
the year 2004, including a list of the best and worst legislation passed
during the year (including minimum wage policies, same sex marriage
initiatives, and civil rights issues), a consideration of the 2004
election (including voter turnout and red state/blue state comparisons),
an in-depth analysis of public policy in five states (the District of
Columbia, California, Nevada, Virginia, and New York), and a recommended
reading list of research reports. http://www.drummajorinstitute.org/plugin/template/dmi/*/2775 4. Taking
the Next Step: What Can the U.S. Learn About Parental Leave from New
Zealand? This brief is the first in a new series by CLASP on work-life
balance. Recently, laws were passed in New Zealand granting its citizens
paid parental leave to care for a newborn, foster child, adopted child,
or sick relative, or if the individual is sick themselves. In the United
States, such leave is typically unpaid. Levin-Epstein’s report
considers the experiences of 17 small businesses in New Zealand with the
new law. She then goes on to argue that the U.S. Family and Medical
Leave Act (FMLA) should follow New Zealand’s model, making parental
leave paid in order to ensure that all families, particularly low-income
families, can afford to take advantage of leave opportunities when
necessary. She also demonstrates how businesses can benefit from such a
change, and suggests solutions to potential challenges of such a law. http://www.clasp.org/publications/work_life_brf1.pdf
5. Medicaid’s Role for Women This issue brief discusses Medicaid as a critical safety-net
for the nation’s low-income women over their lifespans, including
women in reproductive years and middle years, women with disabilities,
and seniors. As access to health insurance and the reception of health
care are so closely related, Medicaid is a particularly important
resource for low-income women. The brief argues for the preservation of
the Medicaid program. http://www.kff.org/womenshealth/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=48681
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