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Support OWL Today!
As a federal, postal or military employee, you can make on-the-job donations to OWL through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Your contribution will ensure that OWL can continue to be a strong and effective voice for the 74 million women in America age 40 and over.
To make your CFC pledge for support to the OWL, enroll during the campaign season (September 1 to December 15) at your workplace by designating the Older Women's League (campaign number 11321) on your enrollment materials.
No donation is too small - enroll today!
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Women's Issues: Where Do They Stand?
Check out the AAUW Action Fund's voter guide to understand how presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, stack up this year on issues important to women.
To access the guide, click here.
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 Medicare Open Enrollment It's a new year, and there are important dates to remember for Medicare's enrollment season. The Fall Open Enrollment Period begins on October 15 and lasts through December 7. During during this period, people with Medicare have the right to change their Medicare health and drug coverage options without restriction. They can make as many changes as they need, and the last change they make on or before December 7 will take effect on January 1, 2013. To access the Medical Rights Center's interactive guide to Medicare, click here. To access the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services site for Medicare, click here. ____________________________ 
(Photo credit: www.nwlc.org) Why Women Should Vote: To Obtain Equal Pay And Job Opportunities The typical full-time woman worker still makes only 77 cents for every dollar paid to the typical man, and women still face a glass ceiling in their efforts to reach the highest positions in their fields. By voting, women can make sure elected officials hold employers accountable for treating women fairly in the workplace. The National Women's Law Center has put together a simple fact sheet on why women should vote. Here are just a few reasons why you should make it to the polls on November 6th: - Women still don't receive equal pay for equal work
- Women continue to experience discrimination and other obstacles as a result of pregnancy and parenting
- Sexual harassment constricts women's employment opportunities
- Women need effective tools to fight employment discrimination
To read more, click here. ______________________ Shirley Sandage: An Awesome Gift From An Awesome Woman A champion of older women's issues, Shirley Sandage bequeathed $30,000 in scholarship funds to North Iowa Area Community College for divorced, widowed or unmarried women age 40 or older who want to complete or begin their college education. To read the full article, click here.
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October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Roughly 1 in 8 women in the United States will get breast cancer. Next to skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common kind of cancer in women.
Talk to your doctor about your risk for breast cancer, especially if breast or ovarian cancer runs in your family. Your doctor can help you decide when and how often to get a mammogram.
For more information, click here.
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What Do Women Want This Election Year?
This week, the YWCA USA, Lake Research Partners, and inc./WomanTrend released the results of their new survey, What Women Want 2012: A YWCA USA National Survey of Priorities and Concerns. The survey was conducted in late August and early September; it is an encore study to the original What Women Want 2008 Survey, also commissioned by the YWCA.
This year's results offer a revealing look at what's on women's minds and what concerns they have in this key election year. Their top priorities for elected leaders are broad, ranging from jobs and the economy to health care and equal pay - and when it comes to solutions, women believe that there are roles for both the private sector and all levels of the public sector to play.
Among the most revealing poll results are: - CONSENSUS: 80% of women, across all divides and regardless of political affiliation, agree on 80% of the issues
- TOP CONCERNS:
- Disappearing middle class
- Social Security and if it will be there when they retire
- An unaffordable medical expense for themselves or family
- Health insurance that is affordable and secure for their family
- HARDSHIPS: The economic downturn continues to loom over women. Its consequences are writ large in their concerns:
- 41% of women have been the primary breadwinner in the last four years.
- Women report hardships ranging from postponing medical care to losing a job or falling behind in rent or mortgage payments. Most importantly, even women who have not personally experienced these difficulties express concern about these issues.
- RACE IMPACTS WORRIES & HARDSHIPS: Women of different races experience the world somewhat differently:
- African American, Latina, and Asian/Pacific Islander women are more likely to have experienced racial or ethnic discrimination.
- Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American women experience more gender-based prejudice.
- African American women tend to worry about the economy, and are more likely to have experienced hour, wage, or tip reductions .
- Latinas worry more about health care and are more likely to experience hardships overall.
- Asian/Pacific Islander women worry most about the economic gap and disappearing middle class and making ends meet. They are the most likely to have experienced wage reductions.
- Native American women were most likely to not have gotten medical care, followed by having their hours, wages, or tips reduced.
- SOLUTIONS: Whom Do Women Expect to Address the Economic Crisis?
- PRIVATE-PUBLIC SOLUTIONS: Women want partnership between the private sector - especially small business - and government at all levels to help solve economic problems in the U.S.
To read more about the survey results, click here.
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We Should, Why Don't They?
There are big problems to fix - the economy, the deficit, energy policy and a whole host of others.
So why is Congress rarely at work? The House of Representatives worked a five-day workweek NINE times during the first 38 weeks in 2012 - and only 44 full, eight-hour days.
If you took a day off 29 weeks a year - and went home for months at a time with a full to-do list - you'd get fired.
No Labels has started a petition demanding that members of Congress work five days a week, three weeks a month. They can spend the rest of their time back home with constituents. It's one big way to
stop fighting and start fixing.
Congress won't change on its own. So stand up today today and tell Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to get to work. They can't solve the problems that need fixing if they don't show up to work.
To sign the petition to make lawmakers work a five day work week, click here. We should, why don't they?
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Get the Facts About Social Security
The Social Security Administration's Office of Retirement and Disability Policy recently released its annual booklet, Fast Facts & Figures About Social Security, 2012. The publication answers the most frequently asked questions about the programs SSA administers. It highlights basic program data for the Social Security (retirement, survivors, and disability) and Supplemental Security Income programs. Did You Know That...
- SSA paid benefits to about 60.4 million people in 2011
- Social Security provided at least half the income for 65 percent of the aged beneficiaries in 2010
- Social Security benefits were awarded to about 5.6 million people in 2011
- Women accounted for 56 percent of adult Social Security beneficiaries in 2011
- The average age of disabled-worker beneficiaries was 53.0 in 2011
- Eighty-five percent of SSI recipients received payments because of disability or blindness in 2011
To access the entire publication, click here.
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"The biggest problem with communication is the
illusion it has taken place."
- George Bernard Shaw
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 Become a Volunteer Mentor!
Empowered Women International (EWI) is a nonprofit organization that channels the entrepreneurial spirit, the arts and creative talents of immigrant, refugee and low-income women into small businesses to create jobs, opportunity for women, multicultural understanding and a new generation of American leaders and entrepreneurs.
Mentor Role: Provide business guidance and support to help immigrant, refugee and low-income women artists and creative entrepreneurs launch and grow small businesses.
Mentor Training: Training and support provided
Hours: Approximately 2-4 hours/month
Locations: Rockville, MD, and Alexandria, VA
Get involved: Email Perri or call: 571-312-4781
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OWL-THE VOICE OF MIDLIFE AND OLDER WOMEN
OWL is a 501(c)(3) national grassroots organization founded in 1980 that continues to be the only national membership organization that advocates solely from the perspective of now over 74 million mid-life and older women.
www.owl-national.org
1625 K St, NW, Suite 1275
Washington, D.C. 20006
Phone: 1-877-OLDRWMN (653-7966) | 202-567-2606
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