( CNN ) -- In the run-up to the party conventions , new attention has been focused on women 's issues in the political sphere . It has been accompanied by claims that the Republican Party is somehow unfriendly to women -- which will be a surprise to the thousands of women attending the convention in Tampa , Florida . The assertion is baseless . Having served 19 years in the Senate , and as a lifelong Republican , I have some perspective . Much of the recent debate has focused on a narrow slice of what constitutes women 's issues and how gender should direct women 's views . But this is overly simplistic . Women make up half of the most diverse country in the world . We are represented ethnically , socially , racially , economically , religiously and ideologically across the spectrum . To say that there is a set of concerns that can be labeled `` women 's issues '' is absolutely true . To assume that we all feel the same way about them -- or that we must feel the same way about them to represent our gender legitimately -- is inherently sexist . My experiences as a woman certainly inform my perspective , but they do not wholly define my political views . I am also guided by the values my family instilled and the educational opportunities I had growing up . That we employ different methods and points of view does not mean that one or the other party is the natural place for women . Opinion : Wake up : It 's not just Akin . Women are , in fact , more than our gender . We are entrepreneurs and executives who are concerned about a faltering economy and business-unfriendly regulation . We are homemakers and heads of households who worry what tax hikes will do to our family budgets . We are parents who want the best education possible for our children . We are recent graduates , entering the bleakest job market in decades . We are retirees , worried about the shaky finances of Medicare and Social Security . I am a Republican because I believe that the best opportunities for women -- and men , and children -- come from a thriving economy that encourages entrepreneurship and promotes business development to create jobs and financial security . In the dismal fiscal state we 're in , I think that is what is most important to women , and I consider the economy to be a women 's issue . But even if we look to the more traditional women 's issues , as a Republican , I have worked on them my entire career . None of it could have been achieved without the support of my party . In 1975 , when I was serving in the Texas Legislature , I authored legislation that guaranteed the most far-reaching protections for rape victims in the country , including limiting invasive personal questions that had been part of a `` blame the victim '' culture and redefining consent . That bill became the model for strengthened victim-protection laws throughout the country . Sen. Barbara Mikulski , D-Maryland , and I sponsored the Homemaker IRA , allowing spouses who do not work outside the home -- the vast majority of them women -- to defer taxes in individual retirement accounts . Mikulski and I worked together again to co-sponsor the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program . More recently , all the female senators -- Democrats and Republicans -- joined together in opposing the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force 's recommendation that women under 50 forgo breast cancer screening . Opinion : Why Paul Ryan is not 'bad ' for women . During this year 's debate on reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act , I offered an amendment to enact harsher penalties for violent sexual offenses and to address the backlog of some 400,000 untested sexual-assault kits . Although the amendment was not approved , the final reauthorization -- again , supported unanimously by the female senators -- included new anti-cyber-stalking legislation that I worked on with Sen. Amy Klobuchar , D-Minnesota . The debate over the Violence Against Women Act was a reminder that , though we may disagree on policy particulars , the female senators find ways to solve problems when it matters most . But my definition of women 's issues extends further . As the ranking member on the Senate Committee on Commerce , Science and Transportation , for instance , I believe the STEM disciplines -- science , technology , engineering and medicine -- must be encouraged for our girls . Getting more women into these professions reflects both my will to advance women and my Republican ethos : These areas are vital to America 's economic success , and I believe ignoring 50 % of the talent pool is detrimental to that goal . Americans have thoughts , opinions and ideas spanning the political spectrum , about which reasonable people can respectfully disagree . But it is both unreasonable and disrespectful to demand that half of them hold identical views simply because of their gender . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Kay Bailey Hutchison .
Some people claim the GOP is unfriendly to women , says Kay Bailey Hutchison . As a U.S. senator for 19 years and a lifelong Republican , she disagrees . The best opportunities for women come from a thriving economy , she says . Hutchison says she has worked on traditional women 's issues her entire career .