Poll: Gender gap for Obama powered by nonmoms

Much has been made of the gender gap that has President Obama favored by women but lagging among male voters. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Obama continues to hold a lead among women, particularly those without children.

Childless working women, 25 to 45 years old, favor Obama over Romney by a broad 20 points, 46% to 26%. The president’s advantage among all women was less than 9 points, 41.6% to Romney’s 33%.

Obama has been campaigning furiously to widen his standing with women, including with a stop this week in Colorado, where he was introduced at one appearance by Sandra Fluke, the former Georgetown University student who gained attention this year campaigning for contraceptive coverage. In a Web video for Obama, actress Elizabeth Banks touts the value of Planned Parenthood for “working class ladies.”

Democrats have argued that restrictions on abortion rights and contraception coverage amount to a “war on women,” while Republicans say the most serious problems have been caused by the struggling economy overseen by Obama. The Reuters story accompanying the poll results notes countermeasures taken by Romney, including formation this week of a Women for Mitt Coalition headed up by the candidate’s popular wife, Ann.

Obama won among women by 13 points over John McCain in 2008, compared with his margin of 7% with the entire electorate.

The Reuters/Ipsos online survey shows that there is no one issue that causes nonmothers to so markedly favor Obama. They have slightly better impressions of his healthcare plan, of how he would handle the economy and on the trajectory of the country than do mothers.

Reuters’ “American Mosaic” polls survey 12,000 Americans each month and target specific demographic groups, in this instance women between 25 and 45 years old.

james.rainey@latimes.com

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