All the Single Ladies: Unmarried women wield more political power than you think

All the Single Ladies: Unmarried women wield more political power than you think

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“All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation” was written by journalist Rebecca Traister.; Credit: Simon & Schuster

“All the Single ladies” is not just the title of a catchy Beyoncé song anymore.

It’s also part of the title of journalist Rachel Traister’s new book: “All the Single Ladies: Unmarried women and the Rise of an Independent Nation”.

Rebecca spoke to Take Two’s host Alex Cohen about the just how influential single women are at the polls.

“They made up 23 percent of the electorate - so almost a quarter of the electorate -  in 2012, ” Traister noted. “Interestingly, it’s not that unmarried women are consciously politically motivated. This is become a mass behavior - women understand they  are no longer required to be married because they can be economically independent, because they can have a sexually liberated life in advance of or outside of marriage.” 

Interview highlights

On why some single women may like Bernie more…

“Their platforms are very similar…and that would be so good for supporting this population of independent women. So a lot of it comes down to differences in preference for style or approach and one of the things that I think Bernie does that is perhaps especially appealing to some young women is offering a more inspirational and aspirational version…”

On  how she’d advise the candidates:

“There is this question in front of politicians, how directly do you address your single women voters? And of course with politicians it’s always hard because they all make things so hokey. I shudder to think of presidential candidates trying to talk to the single ladies in a cool way. But I do think that the key thing is a lot of these policy positions: for example paid leave, for example a higher minimum wage…it’s a matter of putting these proposals out there and just explaining how they make sense. It makes sense to people who are living the way we live now.”

For more on the history of single women and their influence in politics, you can also read Rebecca’s article in NY mag.

To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.