Pennsylvania Suburban Women Sound Off on Upcoming Election

On October eighth and ninth, AARP Pennsylvania hosted women’s roundtable events focused on the difference suburban women will make in the upcoming presidential election in Pennsylvania.

The roundtable events in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh regions focused on the issues that affect 50+ women throughout the Commonwealth with the understanding that these women will likely shape the vote and be the difference-makers in determining the next four years of American politics.

Women 50+ account for- almost one-third (29%) of likely voters overall and more than half (53%) of likely voters 50-plus in the Commonwealth.

And nationally, older women cast 33 percent of ballots in 2022, while accounting for just a little more than 25% of the voting age population.

Additionally, AARP Pennsylvania released a poll on October 1 surveying voters of all ages in Pennsylvania. The poll found that older women voters are focused on the issues that will affect them and their families in the future.

Sixty-seven percent of women voters 50 and older believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. This number nearly matches the overall number of likely voters 50+ saying the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction, which is 68%. Ninety-two percent are more likely to vote for a U.S. Senate candidate who supports making sure workers get the Social Security they paid into and earned through a lifetime of hard work.

It was with that in mind that AARP Pennsylvania hosted two roundtable events. To do so, our staff recruited local women interested in speaking about those issues semi-anonymously. The women recruited self-identified as Independents, Republicans, and Democrats, and the conversations were moderated by local media personalities in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas.

Both roundtable conversations focused on what’s dividing the country, what politicians should know about 50+ women, and what they feel needs to be done about issues like Social Security and caregiving, which AARP polling has found are of particular importance to Pennsylvanians over 50.

“I wish that politicians understood how we have to multitask in our lives, and how we have to balance so many priorities every day,” said Roberta in Delaware County, during the Philadelphia-area roundtable discussion. Roberta added that when she contacts politicians about issues, it’s because the issue is so important. “So, when we contact them, it's really important. We've got so many other items on our plate that we're trying to juggle.”

Barbara from Bucks County agreed. “[Politicians] don't understand the balancing act that we have to do,” she said. “They really don't understand that.”

She claimed some politicians she reached out to regarding changes to Medicare were not willing to speak to her until the changes went into effect.

The women on the Philadelphia-area roundtable agreed that Social Security isn’t being taken seriously enough by politicians, and many suggested more tax dollars should be used to keep the program running smoothly.

In some instances, the women participating noted they didn’t believe Social Security money would be there for their children and grandchildren. According to AARP Pennsylvania’s polling, 61% of women say Social Security is or will be a major source of their income.

The women participating in the Pittsburgh-area roundtable also brought up this point about Social Security.

“Things have got to change,” said Ellie in Allegheny County. “They change with demographics. The country is getting older, and so more people are going to be filing for social security. So of course, the trust funds are going to start not having enough money. I think there are ways they can change it. I would have no problem. I mean what I was. Well, I never hit the limit, but I think people should just they should keep on taxing the until the limit -- until [they get to] your full salary.”

AARP Pennsylvania’s poll released on October 1 found that 29% of older voters identify as family caregivers, with 34% of older Black voters and 31% of older swing voters saying the same.

Caregiving was also discussed during the Pittsburgh-area roundtable with the women noting that something needs to be done to encourage better support for family caregivers.

“I think our culture is one where we don't allow caregivers to have any benefit of being a caregiver,” said Charlotte of Allegheny County. “The availability of helpers is very limited…I think there would have to be a cultural shift for us to really reclaim the idea that we're going to care for our loved ones, our elderly … but we need tax benefits for that. We need family leave to be able to do that and other things.”

She added that “we got away from intergenerational households in our country, and I kind of wish that we would get back to that because there's so much value in multi-generational interactions. And people learn from one another.”

Before concluding the roundtable, Pittsburgh-area moderator Lynne Hayes-Freeland noted that in order to win this year, politicians need to listen to women and “focus on real solutions and the problems they face.”

She added: “AARP is reminding candidates from both sides of the aisle that voters 50 and older, in particular women voters, age 50 and older, are the most important and reliable voting bloc.”

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan member organization that has been working to promote the health and well-being of Americans 50 and older for more than 60 years. AARP Pennsylvania was proud to host two women’s roundtable discussions to better understand the priorities of 50+ women around the Commonwealth, and to share those thoughts with members of the media and AARP’s readership.