> RNR Home

> RNR Archives

> RNR Help

> IWPR Home

January 6, 2005

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:

Does Women’s Representation in Elected Office Lead to Women-Friendly Policy? Analysis of State Level Data

1. The Status of Women in Your County: A Community Research Tool
2. Are You Better Off? 2004 Year in Review
3. Taking the Next Step: What Can the U.S. Learn About Parental Leave from New Zealand?
4. Medicaid’s Role for Women

1. Does Women’s Representation in Elected Office Lead to Women-Friendly Policy? Analysis of State-Level Data

Amy Caiazza, Ph.D.

Institute for Women’s Policy Research

Women and Politics Vol. 26 No. 1

December 2004

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

Misha Werschkul, Barbara Gault, Ph.D. and Heidi Hartmann, Ph.D.

Institute for Women’s Policy Research

Sponsored by the James A. and Faith Knight Foundation

December 2004

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.”

http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/R300.pdf

3. Are You Better Off? 2004 Year in Review

Drum Major Institute for Public Policy

December 2004

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?

Jodie Levin-Epstein

Center for Law And Social Policy

December 2004

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

Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

November 2004

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