Women Chart Economic Priorities

After a 12-year drought, women are ready for a bountifulpolitical harvest under a Democratic administration.

Fifty women - including veteran feminists Betty Friedan andBella Abzug - gathered earlier this month in Arlington Hill, Vt., towrite their blueprint for economic success.

"There are lots of people writing lots of papers" forPresident-elect Clinton to use in framing his first 100 days inoffice, said Rebecca Sive, president of the Sive Group, a Chicagopublic relations agency, and the only Chicagoan at the early Decembergathering. "We thought it was very important to make sure specialattention is given to the needs of working women and theirfamilies."

The women's message was carried to Clinton's economic summitthis week in Little Rock by Linda Tarr-Whelan, executive director ofthe Center for Policy Alternatives, and Diana Meehan, co-director ofUBU Productions and wife of TV producer Gary David Goldberg.

"The summit, from the perspective of women, was the mostimportant event I have attended in a long period," Tarr-Whelan said."We all sat down as equals. . . . I was sitting between the CEO ofFord and the CEO of Citicorp. It was an enormous step forward forwomen's participation in our government."

In their position paper, the women write: "We believe thatAmerica can move forward only if women are an integral part of theeffort as leaders and economic participants. We further believe thatAmerica's ability to compete effectively in the world market isdependent on the degree to which we make effective use of ourworkforce, regardless of gender."

The women advocate, for example, expanding the definition of"infrastructure" beyond its classic definition of fixing the roadsand bridges - programs that generally mean economic gains for men,not women. The women want to see infrastructure redefined to includechild-care centers, low- and moderate-income housing and othercommunity support services that would benefit women.

They didn't have to explain the concept to Clinton's team. "Toborrow a (phrase) from Anita Hill: They got it," Tarr-Whelan said.

The women at Arlington Hill set five priorities, including theexpanded definition of infrastructure. Their recommendations arebased on the results of a survey of working women released earlierthis year by the Ms. Foundation for Women and Tarr-Whelan's Centerfor Policy Alternatives. They are:

Flexible work structures. The need for flexibility ranks No. 1on just about every survey that asks workers what they need tobalance their lives at home and at work. For many workers,flexibility is worked out in a private deal directly with the boss.

The women at the weekend gathering want to see the processformalized. They propose making workplace flexibility - allowingworkers to choose their own hours and choose where they will work,for example - a criterion for winning the coveted Malcolm BaldrigeAward from the U.S. Commerce Department.

Implement equal pay for work of equal value. This perennialwomen's goal has a new chance at becoming reality under a Democraticregime. Some states and some private employers already have adoptedan equal-pay policy, but it is far from the norm. The women proposeClinton issue an executive order requiring all federal contractors toimplement such a pay plan.

Expand women's entrepreneurship. They propose a technique thathas worked in limited areas: Requiring federal contractors to give acertain percentage of business to women-owned companies.

Restructure the country's income-support system. That includeswelfare. The women want a system that will prevent poverty andfacilitate the transition from welfare to work. Additionally, theypropose a higher minimum wage that would support a family of threeand a public policy that provides education and training that willlead women to high-paying jobs.

The women want the government to become a model employer - onefree of harassment, discrimination and pay inequities and one thathelps workers balance their family and work responsibilities andtrains them for future jobs.

Ultimately, the women said, the country's "public policies mustrecognize and address the realities of women's lives and provide acatalyst for jobs with wages sufficient to maintain families. Inthis way, we not only speak about family values, but demonstrateconcretely that we value families."

Said Sive: "My sense of the mood of people who are advocates forwomen is they are very optimistic, very positive and very energized(by the prospect) of having a president-elect who is talking aboutthe issues they're concerned about."