Institute for Women's Policy Research’s Post

From Sonya Sellmeyer with the Iowa Department of Insurance & Financial Services in a letter to the editor of the Daily Nonpareil: “Today, women are more likely to be financially responsible for their families, have longer life spans and fill in as full-time caregivers for children and aging parents. With all these complex and changing roles, women need to remember to put their financial security first.” Read more from Sonya’s letter here: https://ow.ly/xh6050Rj4cM #SmartHerMoney #FinancialIndependence #FemaleEmpowerment

What will policymakers make of the Liberal Democrats' manifesto? The Liberal Democrats launched their #2024election manifesto on Monday. In this post we take a quick look at how it might be received by policymakers across government, using the Lighthouse Policymaker Mindsets to guide us. 🔭 The Visionary is a big-picture thinker who champions innovative and transformative ideas. They will likely be excited by the manifesto's emphasis on green technologies, climate action, and systemic reforms in education and healthcare. On the other hand, we can imagine Visionaries rolling their eyes at overly specific commitments that bind their hands! 🔬 The Innovator is drawn to creative, experimental approaches. They will be particularly interested in the focus on new technologies and innovative public services. Policies promoting digital transformation, online crime prevention, and advanced educational tools will resonate. 🥋 The Operator values competence, reliability, and low-risk solutions. They will be scrutinising the practicality and feasibility of the proposed policies. Immediate and direct actions like restoring community policing and guaranteeing police attendance at burglaries will appeal to their need for visible, effective measures. However, they may be cautious about more ambitious, longer-term reforms that carry higher risks and could result in unintended consequences. 🌳 The Veteran brings decades of experience and value historical knowledge and proven practices. They will appreciate policies that build on past successes and avoid dismissing historical lessons. The focus on gradual and direct reforms, such as addressing staffing shortages in police forces and resourcing the National Crime Agency, will align well with their preference for stability and continuity. ⚙ The Pragmatist prioritises practicality and feasibility. They will respond positively to policies that promise realistic outcomes. The manifesto's detailed plans to tackle court backlogs and enhance police training will be seen as practical solutions to pressing issues. Unlike the Visionary, Pragmatists might find some commitments too vague. 🤝 The Collaborator champions inclusive, participatory approaches. They will be drawn to talk of community engagement, stakeholder involvement, and collaborative efforts in policy implementation. Policies aimed at improving workforce diversity in the police force and engaging communities in crime prevention will resonate. They might, however, be critical of any policies they feel are top-down or lacking input from community voices. 🛡 The Guardian focuses on protecting public interests and promoting equity. They will be encouraged by the policies that promote fairness, transparency, and support for vulnerable populations. The commitments to supporting survivors of violence, addressing mental health crises, and ensuring fair pay for police officers will appeal hugely. Check the comments for more! https://lnkd.in/eYy8k_Qv

This is excellent to see. The Liberal Democrats have made their Easy Read manifesto available at the same time as their full manifesto. This is the standard we expect of all political parties. You can find the Liberal Democrats Easy Read manifesto towards the end of this page: https://lnkd.in/eYy8k_Qv There are over 2 million people with a learning disability and/or autism in the UK, who are frequently overlooked when it comes to accessibility and inclusion. Easy Read manifestos - and accessible voting - are crucial in ensuring that people with a learning disability and/or autism can exercise their democratic right to vote.

It’s Society Watch 2024 day! This year our focus is Gen Z - the newest generation of voters. Expected to make up one quarter of the electorate by 2030, it is vital to understand their views on pressing policy issues. Find out what they think on law and order, housing and adult social care and how that differs to older generations. [spoiler: which it does in a number of stark ways] https://lnkd.in/ebn2ePYA #GeneralElection #SocietyWatch

So far this election season, candidates have doubled down on hyper-partisan messaging to win their party’s nomination. But today, on #SuperTuesday, JFF is calling on policymakers to shift their focus to what really matters to voters—an end to dead ends to economic opportunity. That's why JFF is launching #NoDeadEnds, a national campaign to elevate policies that would help fix our siloed #education and #workforce systems. Read our blog to learn more about JFF's policy agenda to eliminate the dead ends that millions of workers and learners face at school, at work, and in their lives: https://lnkd.in/eKbTu5Xg #statepolicy #federalpolicy

With a new government in place and many new MPs following last week's election, we're calling for the needs of older people to be considered. Age UK has produced a 'Blueprint' for improving the lives of older people, outlining key priorities including enforcing existing age discrimination laws, addressing pensioner poverty, tackling digital exclusion and loneliness, and ultimately creating 'age-friendly' communities where older people are valued and connected. You can read the blueprint here: https://buff.ly/3WbIaxa

Sign Jobs for the Future (JFF)'s No Dead Ends pledge by submitting the form below to join us in ending dead ends at school, at work, and in life. After signing the pledge, you will receive more information about the policy priorities of JFF's No Dead Ends campaign and about opportunities to take action to eliminate dead ends in our education and workforce systems. https://lnkd.in/gM3f6hKZ #NoDeadEnds

NEW: A recent report highlights how barriers to obtaining IDs can impact daily life, including voting. The barriers could be dismantled with policy choices that prioritize accessibility and affordability over burdensome requirements.

The voting age has been a topic of debate for many years, with some arguing that it should be lowered to 16 or even 17, while others believe it should remain at 18. In this blog post, we'll explore the reasons why the voting age should stay at 18.

Each generation enters the electorate with a particular partisan stamp, one shaped by national events and the political ethos that prevailed during their upbringing. If you became politically cognizant during a moment of successful government intervention, you may tend to lean left. If you started paying attention to the news in the age of a dynamic Republican president, you might lean right. This theory, which political scientists call the impressionable years hypothesis, helps explain why the electorate has remained closely split even though the aging of the population has exerted rightward pressure on the voting pool. Data from the General Social Survey, conducted since the 1970s by NORC at the University of Chicago, shows how each generation has a different partisan origin story. https://lnkd.in/g3VSarRY