Free Argumentative Essays: Can Women Have It All?

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).

In life we are told to “have it all” by raising a perfect family, getting a beautiful house, and having a high paying job; but is it possible to have it all? How many people can honestly have it all, when so many are just trying to survive? In the articles, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” and “Why Men Still Can’t Have It All,” Anne-Marie Slaughter and Richard Dorment, discuss how women function in the workplace and the different expectant outcomes for each, mainly focusing on the upper class. The primary objective of Slaughter’s passage was to show how women are treated poorly and how they are held to a different standard than their male counterparts. Dorment focused mostly on how neither women nor men should strive to “have it all” because nobody can. Together they consider the subjects of workplace discrimination, housework standards, family involvement, and striving to “have it all.”

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 Men Still Can’t Have It All,” by Richard Dorment, a senior writer and editor in esquire magazine, Dorment responds to Slaughter’s article by claiming men face the same problem as women do. He claims that recent times have made it much more difficult for men to balance work and family life. He

For example, in Ann-Marie Slaughter’s essay “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” she arguably wrote that while she held office all she could think about were her sons. While she was regularly commuting between Washington and New Jersey many female politicians at her side and feminists at her side were horrified by the fact that she would give up the high-power position she was in for her “family.” This has even made some women say “I’ve never had to compromise, and my kids turned out great” (678). Although there is a shift in perspective of women being able to hold high-power positions it has caused this expectation that women should only focus on their career and disregard their home life. During this essay, Slaughter speaks about how women can have it all and then some with their careers and home lives, it would be absurd to want to spend more time at home with such a high-ranking career. Although, it is simply not true. Slaughter insists that you cannot enjoy a home life along with such a career. She states that if she was not sleeping or in a meeting she was writing reports, commenting on drafts, etc.

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.

In life people are told to “have it all” by raising a perfect family, getting a beautiful house, and having a high paying job; but is it possible to have it all? How many people can honestly have it all, when so many are just trying to survive? In the articles, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” and “Why Men Still Can’t Have It All,” Anne-Marie Slaughter and Richard Dorment, discuss how women function in the workplace and the different expectant outcomes for each; mainly focusing on the upper class. The primary objective of Slaughter’s passage was to show how women are treated poorly and how they are held to a different standard than their male counterparts. While Dorment focused mostly on how neither women nor men should strive to “have it all” because nobody can. Together they consider the subjects of workplace discrimination, housework standards, family involvement, and striving to “have it all.”

“Can we all ‘have it all’?” is a ted talk that is composed and presented by Anne-Marie Slaughter. Throughout the video the idea of equality is developed. The idea of equality is often misconceived by society. Slaughter discusses the idea of a revolution in humanity by creating a difference in our work places, our policies, and our culture. Slaughter talks about equality through the eyes of society. Slaughter mentions at (02:38), that “full equality does not mean valuing women on male terms”. A change that needs to be made to potentially create equality is presented in work places. Work and family are not meant to overpower one another because they are meant to be handled as a pair. Slaughter addresses the fact that workers become more efficient

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

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

Perhaps you are saying to yourself "I already knew this but couldn't prove it." Whether or not you could have guessed this information or have possibly lived to tell your own stories about juggling the responsibilities of family-life and work, the underlying and disturbing question is, how can this be so today? How can it be that modern women who have seemingly come so far in becoming recognized as thriving active members of business, politics, and society in general still be struggling with the same gender roles with which their grandmothers dealt? How is it that women have broken out of many of the confines holding them back from the public sphere, but women are still expected to fulfill traditional roles within the private sector?

In the 1800’s a women was suppose to have four things Piety, Purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. These principles shaped the “Cult of True Womanhood” an idea that women were to be seen but not heard. Women had no say when it came to politics, they couldn’t own property, they were not allowed to do many jobs, and they couldn’t even speak in front of men. They had the duty to be a mother and raise their children but even thought they had this responsibility it was the husband who had the complete control and guardianship of the children. Because of these ideas it was very difficult for change to happen. When women started to receive more education they began to ask questions about why they were being denied these rights, which began the

Conventionally, females played a very insignificant role in the paid work force of a society as many times they were expected to be home taking care of their family. Their roles at home can often include grocery shopping, meeting all the needs of her children and husband. As time moved on, our society became more accepted of sharing housework between the couples, but even so, the traditionally more feminine housework such as cooking, caring for sick children, and shopping for the entire family are mostly done by the females of the house. It is argued in a research journal Work and Occupations (Witkowski & Leicht, 1995) that in an average North American family, females take on roughly three-quarters of the housework. Even though we are in a democratic society, parenting roles in the household are assigned based on gender rather than in a democratic fashion (Winslow-Bowe, 2009). Because of the many responsibilities and obligations that are associated with the female gender, their career paths are eventually affected for the worse. According to Statistics Canada (2001), for every dollar a man earns, a single woman earns 93 cents and a married woman earns 69 cents. These statistics

Ever since the dawn of time, women and men have been associated with specific gender roles that can be seen controversial in the eyes of many. Traits and roles associated with a specific gender can be either innate or learned over time. Looking into the deeper concept of gender roles and stereotypes, it is clear that these fixed gender roles are not naturally born with, but rather taught, learned, or influenced by external forces.

“Women still can’t have it all,” and “Why men still can’t have it all,” because no matter what an individual do with their life they will be judge in a way they never understood. When a successful men or women are being seen powerful working persona others can start to criticism her as not being a good parent. Women and men just cannot have it all and all everyone does is contribute the best they can and try. The phrase “Having It All,” is being overused by women and men. Having it all means different things to different people. For me, it’s what I need and want in life. For instance, I don’t have to be the wealthiest or the most powerful person in the world as long as I got a decent job that support my financial institution and a family of my own, and that I could provide time for my love ones. Although men and women have battled countless times to reach to the peak of their jobs while having families, they tend to fall back down to their needs. However, some have achieved the goal of having it all, but it doesn’t necessarily mean being at the top of the food chain while being a parent. For instance, my old supervisor who had decided to demoted herself from a supervisor to a team-lead because she wanted to spend more time with her daughter. As a result, she also has less stress and more time for her daughter now. I believe men and women can have it all to a certain degree with their career choice, as well as being a good parent or good spouse, the