www.pressofatlanticcity.com/109/story/137535.html -
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Published on: 4/20/2008
Last Visited: 4/20/2008
"I think they're damaging," said Sid Ray, a professor of women's and gender studies at Pace University in New York."They're stereotypes."Susan Carroll, a senior scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics, echoed Ray's skepticism."'Soccer moms' was (coined) in 1996," Carroll said."Prior to that, people didn't think of themselves as 'soccer moms.'"They noticed a group of swing voters," she said, "and a whole bunch of characteristics that couldn't be found in polling were attached to these women, like how they all (supposedly) drive minivans."Not only are those labels inaccurate, Carroll said, but they're a little too "convenient" when it comes to dealing with women's issues."'Soccer moms' are not an organized interest in American society," she said."No organization is coming to knock on the White House door saying, 'You promised to do this this and this.' It's an attempt to deal with women voters without really dealing with women voters."Security moms, she said, are basically just soccer moms given a new label and a new supposed concern.And what about the newest designation, 'waitress moms'?"They've always been there," she said.