The double-edged sword of women's organizing: Poverty and the emergence of racial and class differences in women's policy priorities

This article empirically examines how, if at all, women's prioritization of poverty issues has been conditioned by their class and/or race over time. Cross-sectional survey data collected from 1960 through 2000 was stacked to create a longitudinal research design. The survey data included open-ended questions assessing what issues respondents considered most important for the nation. Results indicate that class and racial differences among women are not inevitable when it comes to prioritizing poverty. These group cleavages emerge as significant precisely as more affluent women, and white women, disproportionately enjoyed the benefits won by second-wave organizing. The political ramifications of organizing's "double-edged sword" are discussed for public policy and women's activism.