Vote With Your Purse

Last week Women's Campaign Forum Foundation released its premier report on women and political giving. Entitled Vote With Your Purse: Harnessing the Power of Women's Political Giving for the 2008 Election and Beyond, this new study examines trends in women’s giving and financial power, women’s political fundraising results in 2006, as well as provides concrete ideas on how to tap the “power of the purse” for upcoming elections.

Just like the representation of women in elected office, women have a long way to go when it comes to the rate and amount of donations to candidates, parties, and political action committees (PACs). Our report highlights that in 2006 women accounted for just 27 percent of federal political contributions to candidates, PACs and parties. That's part of the reason women candidates were far outpaced in their fundraising by their male counterparts.

As the report states,



For better or worse, money is a critical factor in acquiring political power. When women lag behind in giving, it means that women’s political will is not fully reflected, and women’s political power diminished. Women candidates then face a harder fundraising trajectory as a core constituency does not pair political support with crucial financial support.


Women have the opportunity to significantly impact the direction our country is heading. With just a small donation from every woman who voted in the last mid-term election – as the report puts it, the cost of your last pair of shoes – women could exert a huge influence on the political process.  Now is the time to create a change in the way that women think, act and give politically.