Richard Eskow: The War On Women Is a Class War!

Last week the voters delivered their verdict on what has come to be known as "the Republican War on Women": They're against it. We've had decades of relentless class warfare from above, in the form of wealth distribution from the many to the few. Finally, class related issues have helped to deliver a resounding defeat to scores of candidates who represented the interests of naked greed. Women's issues and women voters were critical to this election. That's not coincidental. The War On Women has many dimensions, social, cultural, psychological, but in many ways women's issues are class issues. That makes the war on women a class war, among other things. The upcoming "fiscal cliff" talks will open up another front in this seemingly endless struggle. Here are some of the reasons why: 1. There are much fewer women than men at the top of the pay scale. As income goes up, the percentage of women goes down. Roughly two thirds of Americans who make $10,000 per year or less are women. The gender balance only reaches 50/50 status as it approaches the income levels we commonly think of as 'middle class'. From there on up, it skews heavily in favor of men. Nearly two thirds of the people who earn between $100,000 and $249,000 per year were male. The disparity is even more striking for earners above $250,000. Less than one out of four Americans making $250,000 per year is a woman. The key issue in this fiscal cliff conflict is taxation for people in this group. The artificial "fiscal cliff" crisis has gender implications at every income level.