Anne-Marie Slaughter-Why Women Still CanT Have It All

After World War II, the nation was blooming. Everything was growing, people were going to college, and wealth grew. The idea of the perfect American life was developed, this included a husband that worked and a wife that stayed home and took care of the house and children. To look at how women are affected by this perfect life I am analyzing “Governor Adlai Stevenson Tells College Women about Their Place in Life, 1955” and “Good Housekeeping: Every Executive Needs a Perfect Wife, 1956”.

In today’s economy, it is a hard fact that many women will have to enter the workforce. In her article for The Atlantic, “Why Women Still Can’t have it All”, Anne-Marie Slaughter examines the difficulties faced by women who either have children or would someday like to do so. Having given up on the task of holding a high powered government position while being the mother of a teenager, her kairotic moment, the author discusses the changes that would be necessary in order for women to find a real work-life balance. Although Slaughter 's target audience is primarily women who seek high powered positions, the article contains ample information that should appeal to both men who seek to balance the needs of a growing family with their work responsibilities, as well as workplace policy makers who could help usher in the necessary changes. Her goal in sharing her experiences is to argue that women can succeed at the very top level of their organizations, “But not today, not with the way America’s economy and society are currently structured” (Slaughter).

Anne-Marie Slaughter constructed the article, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” including personal and statistical measures to prove that, though women have come far, they are not to the standard of men. She begins the article informing us of her job as the first female director of policy planning at the State Department in Washington D.C. Admittingly, with such a high-profile job and finding herself struggling to balance her 14-year-old son, she made the decision to quit her job after two years. Accordingly, Slaughter pondered her years working in a high power workplace, realizing

“Look at us! We’re just like everyone else. We’ve bought into the same ridiculous delusion; this idea that you have to settle down and resign from life.” (April Wheeler, Revolutionary Road). It has become a society norm that women are meant to serve housewives; to cook, clean, garden, and nurture children, even though they are much more capable of other things. The role of women is greatly overseen, as they are not perceived to be of their full potential, rather than as societies idealistic expectation. This is because men and those who are wealthy are unable to look past gender and accept women as of equal significance.

In, “Halving the Double Day” by Dorothy Sue Cobble, she realizes that women get the bitter end of having a poor socio-economic status. Women are more burdened than men with balancing activities. Cobble states, “But none feel the pressure more than those juggling full-time employment with what can seem like a second shift at home” (Cobble, 1). Cobble believes that women, especially in lower income households face more stress and have less time to do things they want in life because they are burdened with finding and working in jobs as well as balancing house hold duties. Unlike men, who’s primary role in the household is to go out and work, women now who are in lower income families have to take on both roles assisting in income and doing house work. Furthermore, Cobble emphasizes that only those who are rich can benefit from the vast benefits that outsiders see in living in America. Cobble states, “Similarly the highly touted family-friendly workplace-the coveted market nook with flexible work schedules, job sharing, child care assistance, and comprehensive health and welfare coverage-is not yet a reality for the majority of salaried workers, let alone hourly workers”

In the article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” Anne-Marie Slaughter explains why women can’t manage both the difficulties of a high-end job while doing the best they can as a parent. Slaughter is a very successful women who had worked for Hillary Clinton at the state department being the first woman policy planner. She begins the essay by explaining a conversation that came up between herself and a colleague who held a senior position in the White House. She tells her colleague that is has been very difficult for her to be away from her son at work, when he needs her at home. At this point Slaughter comes up with the idea to write an article about these struggles she and many women are dealing with. Throughout this meeting Slaughter

A woman has many decisions and sacrifices to make when balancing work and family. Ann-Marie Slaughter is the author of “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” where she explains what it is like to hold a higher ranking position and have children at home. She begins by building her credibility with personal facts and sources, citing other women in younger and older generations. Slaughter fills her essay with high emotion to empower women to be able to have a higher profession without giving up the time with the ones you love. She describes what it is like to lead her business life, and struggle to guide her children, when she doesn’t even have time for herself.

Her list of accomplishments stretches infinitely long, including her work as a law professor at Princeton University, the dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton, and, “the first female director of policy planning at the State Department,” (Slaughter 676, 680). She worked in the government for two years, before returning to her original job at Princeton, and the most common question she was asked was why she gave up her government job just to be home with her children (678). It is hard to comprehend why it is so difficult for women to want to have a family life without being shamed for it. The main issue that Slaughter struggles with is that she never realized how many women are affected by people who preach false words, such as that it is “easy” to have a fulfilling work and family life. Slaughter used to give speeches pertaining to this subject, motivating women to work hard in their home and work lives, but what she realized eventually was that, “[she had] been part, albeit unwillingly, of making millions of women feel that they are to blame if they cannot manage to rise up the ladder as fast as men and also have a family and an active home life (and be thin and beautiful to boot),” (678-9).

Women were fighting to get and hold the top offices in business, and break away from the stereotype that said their place was in the home. J.C. too had proven she had made that stand for herself, and was out performing the men around her. She knew she had walked away from “the other side”, but she was okay with her choice. During the film her boss, as well as Steven, try to explain to her what she is giving up as she comes to key decision making turns in the road. In an article by Anne-Marie Slaughter, president of New America foundation, shares that yes women do feel they must sacrifice either their career and/or their family and cannot have it all (Slaughter web). She goes on to share that, how we as Americans value a mother’s time at home versus her time in the workplace is changing. Sadly, still in 2016, some mothers feel they still have to make that choice. If a woman wants to go out and be the main provider, or hold an equal role of her husband, there should be a way to make it work. In some homes, the families have found a plan that works, with shared schedules by the man and the woman. Others have close family members that help to care for the young children, or the children are placed in daycare or afterschool care. The growth of working women/mothers had grown

Is it possible for women to “have it all”? As times are changing so are the views for women on “having it all”. Why Women Still Can't Have It All by Anne-Marie Slaughter is an article about how Slaughter realized she was living every feminists life but gave it up to be with her family. To Slaughter having it all meant what type of job she had, but according to her she soon realized that, “having it all was not possible in many types of jobs, including high government office—at least not for very long.” Anne Slaughter always had feminist beliefs and thought that if she could get a foreign-policy job in the State Department or the White House, she would stay there as long as she loved what she was doing. She kept with this attitude until she

Is it really possible for women to have it all, both satisfying career and family life simultaneously? In the following sentences ahead Sheryl Sandberg and two of her contemporaries will try to answer if it is possible for women to have it all. Sheryl Sandberg is the author of, “Lean in: What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?” and currently, CEO of Facebook, believes women can really have it all. Growing up in a Jewish family being reminded of the equality of boys and girls, all the while traditional values of marriage were very prevalent. At a young age, Sandburg was married and divorced within one year, unlike her grandmother (649). Sandberg draws her inspiration from her grandmother because of her continuous work ethics in a time

Marche begins explaining his take on the article “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All?” by Anne-Marie Slaughter’s and the book, Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg --------------------- (Need explanation) (2). He believes that it is odd men are not in the picture with the discussion of “work and life” and concludes that the decision made in a family must be made together (2). Marche describes the book Lean in to show aspects of false hope, since “work and talent alone” cannot bring someone closer to success for both men and women (2). After reading the article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All?,” he thought of the many men that may “’have it all’” (qtd. in 3) who, in reality, do

Robert Dorment’s summary from his article talked about that women always complained about men did wrong but men who worked so hard for their family and work-life balance. Richard used that word “castigate” for men that means women scold men, but they did not realize men worked so hard. Other quote about the castigation of men, “…person whose husband, by her own admission, sacrificed much in his own academic career to do other heavy lifting with their children, all so she could pursue her dream job and then complain about it, bitterly, in the pages of a national magazine” (Dorment 708). Anne-Marie Slaughter explained that women who get promotion from other positions that they realized they do not have spent time with their family and some women who leave their jobs because of their family reasons. The quote said, “It is unthinkable that an official would actually step down to spend time with his or her family that this must be a cover for something else” (Slaughter 682). Third article called Women, work and work/life balance: Research roundup talked about the wage inequality and unequal responsibilities between men and women. Women have more family responsibilities than men do because some women are staying at home while taking care of their kids. Last article, Work-Life Balance – An integrated Approach: The case for joint and several responsibility talked about the

Whether this be cooking/cleaning in the house, or taking care of the children, women are often the ones who have their working opportunities taken away, and are left to take care of their families’ everyday needs. The thing is, no one would ever say that women are successful and their faces should be placed on magazines because they take care of their families. It may seem like an easy job, however, women work endlessly in order to support and take care of their families, and many of them also take part in something called the second shift- working all day thus helping the economy, then coming home and making sure their families are content with food, cleanliness, and happiness. That is success in my eyes, however it is an unfortunate reality that society doesn’t see it this

"People who are liberal thinkers have been enslaved by these poseurs, these racketeers, people who are pretending to be liberal but who are in fact just naïve politically. I have been congratulated by women...who are so sick of being bullied by these sanctimonious puritans who call themselves feminists." --Camille Paglia