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Synthesizing a New Political Ethic
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10858 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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Date : |
7 / 1986 |
2,001 Words |
| Author
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Lee Atwater
Lee Atwater is chairman of the Fund for America's Future in
Washington, D.C., and is a senior partner in the political
consulting firm of Black, Manafort, Stone and Atwater in
Alexandria, Virginia. |
As the first of the Baby Boomers begin turning 40 this year, it is a good time to examine this groups' profound impact on American politics. After all, Baby Boomers - those born between 1946 and 1964 - will comprise nearly 60 percent of the voting age population.
The forces shaping America's political future are strong and sweeping. They have been growing with the Baby Boom since the end of World War II. These three critical postwar demographic forces are:
1.The integration of women into the work force. There is no slice of the demographic pie that has undergone more change than women. Compared with their mothers, Baby Boom women have a whole new world of opportunities. Women now make up approximately 53 percent of the work force, up from about 30 percent in the year I was born, 1951.
2.The Shrinking of the American family. While the family remains a steady influence, it has changed. The number of working mothers continues to rise; the number of single-parent families continues to rise. One of the struggles of life in the 1980s is keeping the post-nuclear family together. It's a struggle no politician and no political party can ignore.
3.The graying of America and the end of the dominance of the youth culture. This aging trend will continue as the average life span increases, thanks to improvements in health care. In 1970 the median age was 28; today it is over 31.
These three trends, which have reshaped this society, have also reshaped its
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