August 7, 1998
Washington, DC — After 27 years as one of the nation's most effective advocacy groups, the Women's Legal Defense Fund has become the National Partnership for Women & Families. As part of the launch of its new name and agenda, the National Partnership also announced a new alliance with two leading Hispanic groups and release a national public opinion poll, Family Matters: A National Survey of Men and Women.
"The National Partnership for Women & Families will use new strategies, create new allies, and reach new audiences to promote change that improves the lives of women and families," National Partnership President Judith L. Lichtman said. "We have a new image for the new millennium — and new tactics that will make us even more effective in years ahead."
The National Partnership announced partnerships with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the National Council of La Raza. The two organizations will distribute the new Spanish-language version of the National Partnership's free, consumer-friendly Guide to the Family & Medical Leave Act to their members and supporters.
Family Matters found that, even with an improving economy, two-thirds of Hispanics (60 percent) think time pressures on working families are getting worse. More than half (51 percent) say that making sure their family can get quality health care has gotten harder. Neither women nor men think that workplaces are flexible or as fair as they should be. Nearly nine in ten Hispanics (88 percent) think government should do more to help families, and nine in ten Hispanics (92 percent) say they want employers to do more. Conducted by Lake Sosin Snell Perry & Associates, the poll compares attitudes of Americans of different generations, and explores views by gender, race, ethnicity, political affiliation, and income level.
"Americans want more responsive employers and lawmakers. They want change. They expect change. And they're willing to pay for it and vote for it," Lichtman added. "That holds true for women and men; Hispanics, African Americans and whites; generation Xers and baby boomers; Republicans and Democrats and independents; people with high incomes and people in poverty; stay-at-home moms and working women. And the demand for change is only going to grow. Today's younger workers expect more."
The National Partnership announced two new initiatives: the Family Leave Initiative to make family and medical leave available to more working families for more reason; and the Quality Health Care Initiative to help women get the information and basic consumer protections they need for themselves and their families.
The National Partnership also launched its new web site, which features the Guide in English and Spanish as well as other materials from both its Work and Family and Health Care programs. The web site address is: www.nationalpartnership.org.
Family Matters also found that:
Thirty-eight percent of Hispanics, compared with 26 percent of whites, say it is very likely they will need to take time off to care for a family member in the next ten years. Sixty percent of Hispanics under age 45 say that it is likely they will be responsible for an elderly parent or relative in the next ten years. More than four in ten Hispanic women under age 45 (43 percent) say it very likely.
Seven in ten Hispanics (90 percent) say that employers are not doing a good job in making changes in the workplace to help workers meet their family needs, compared with 58 percent of whites.
More than half of Hispanic respondents (52 percent) say that quality is the single most important factor when choosing a health care plan. Fifty-eight percent of Hispanic women under age 45 say they worry often about getting quality health care for their family compared with less than half of all women (49 percent).
Demand for a package of specific patient protections is high. Nine in ten Hispanics (89 percent) would favor a federal Patient Protection Act. Two in three (65 percent) would pay additional out-of-pocket costs for those protections.
Nearly nine in ten Hispanic women (88 percent) say it is very important to be able to choose a gynecologist or pediatrician as the primary doctor for themselves or for their family members. Seventy-seven percent of Hispanic women say it is very important that their health insurance cover care and services from a family planning or women's health care clinic.
Family Matters was a random telephone survey of 1,115 adults nationwide conducted from January 28 to February 1, 1998. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is +/-3.1 percent.
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