In Business / May 2007
What Women Want
In a national bipartisan survey of women business owners released in April, health care was overwhelmingly named the most critical issue affecting their businesses. While this was the fifth year that health care concerns ranked number one, in a significant shift from previous surveys, half of those surveyed do not believe business should be the main provider of health care coverage.
The survey respondents were definitive in discussing possible solutions to the health care crisis and in the belief that business, large or small, should not shoulder the responsibility for being the main provider of health care coverage.
In a show for current legislation, more than 85 per cent of those surveyed want small employers to have the option to access the same insurance programs offered to government employees and 64 per cent believe the number of uninsured individuals would decrease if business owners were allowed to shop across state lines for more competitive rates. The majority supported small business tax breaks as an incentive for offering employee health coverage.
Concern about energy costs ranked as the second most critical issue. More than half of all businesses, 52 per cent, said they have plans to alter business practices to either conserve energy or become more environmentally friendly and 35 percent reported offering technological initiatives along with either business or service product offerings to increase energy efficiency.
Two-thirds of the respondents believe global warming and environmental changes will affect them or their businesses and 45 per cent want to see the government use both incentives and regulations to encourage businesses to encourage conservation.
Tax reform and the federal deficit tied at 51 per cent each for third place. Eighty-one percent of respondents believe the current tax structure is in need of comprehensive reform. Women entrepreneurs want several tax cuts made permanent, including the estate tax, capitol gains and dividends, and expensing for small business. Regarding the federal deficit, 67 percent stated that federal spending should be reduced to decrease the rising deficit.
“What Business Women Want” is an annual online poll conducted by Women Impacting Public Policy, a non-profit, national bipartisan group with over half a million members. WIPP is the collective voice in Washington, DC, for 46 national women and small business organizations. The poll is intended to provide insight on issues affecting the growth of women-owned businesses. According to WIPP
President Barbar Kasoff, “Women entrepreneurs have a unique perspective on national issues because they’re the only demographic with their finger on the pulse of both the business and the family wallets. The WIPP surveys continue to be an accurate forecast of general populace opinion on economic issues because the results reveal common sense and common ground across party lines.”
She expects the results of the survey to have an impact the group’s efforts in working with Congress and the Administration to develop common-sense solutions that foster the growth of America’s 10.6 million women-owned businesses.
The 2007 “What Business Women Want” national survey was conducted between January 22-February 9, 2007, and included 400 respondents. To read the complete survey, visit www.wipp.org.
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