Why Women Still Can T 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”.

Ehrenreich demonstrates how men have suffered from being the family breadwinner. Men are less healthy than women, from both physical and mental standpoints, because they bare the majority of economic responsibility for their family. Despite the growing number of women who have joined the labor force in recent years, men are paid almost forty percent more, which makes their salary more valuable to a family than a woman's. A family must retain a man as their beast of burden because America places increasing emphasis on the value of its citizens through their material possessions. This makes many men feel that their role unduly taxes their resources. "Perhaps men will live longer (and more enjoyable lives) in America when women carry more of the burden of the battle with the world, instead of being a burden themselves" (102).

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 her article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” Anne-Marie Slaughter comes to the conclusion that women can have it all, but the present structure of today’s society has made it unfeasible. Slaughter, a high-profile government employee, was appalled when she received supercilious and demeaning remarks regarding her stepping down; ultimately choosing her family over her career (Slaughter). Choosing family may be an easy choice for some, but when today’s society has placed an exceeding amount of value in ones career, some are faced with an unimaginable decision. For women to finally have it all, a family and a career, Slaughter argues that we must rediscover the pursuit of happiness, redefine what it means to be successful, and reacquire family values.

Many people have different perspectives about who can have it all. In “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” Anne-Marie Slaughter makes a point in her essay which is that you cannot have it all. However, in “Why Men Still Can’t Have It All,” Richard Dorment responds to her essay with a different opinion, and he makes arguments to prove his opinion about this topic. To understand his opinion, we are going to look at his points, how did he make the points, and my personal opinion on his argument.

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.”

For two years Anne-Marie Slaughter, author of  "Why Women Still Can't Have It All" held a high-profile position in the Washington D.C. commuting daily from her home in New Jersey to her job in D.C. as the first women director to engage the position of policy planning at the State Department.   In her essay, she describes the challenges she faces when trying to balance work with family.   While Slaughter's focus is more on her high-profile career under then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, she comes to realize what she experiences is relevant to women in all walks of life.   As a parent and a professional, she confronts the impossible balance in meeting the demands of both roles leading up to the ultimate decision to step down from her government

Why Nobody Can Have It All — But Should Be Able To Most people dream for their entire lives of having the perfect, high paying job, or maybe starting a family. There seems to be a stark divide between those who want to move higher up in their career fields, versus those who would rather focus on home life. The strange thing is that it is nearly impossible to accomplish both of these things at the same time: especially if you are a woman. In Anne-Marie Slaughter’s article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” she writes of her difficulties splitting her efforts between her busy work life and taking care of her children. Others have tried to oppose this position by saying that it is not just a women’s problem, and that men also have difficulty

In his essay he claims that , “Lately, the raging debate about issues of “work-life balance” has focused on whether or not women can “have it all.” completely lost in this situation is the growing strain of work-life balance on men, who today are experiencing the demands of work and home same or more than women” (697). By saying this , Dorment explains that men are forced to do more things than women these days and that we should equally pay attention to both man and women. Men are required to work outside of home and help with chores and take care of kids at home. He points out that men are working more than ever before in the history and tells facts on how much more dominant women are in earning degrees and wealth.

How in the world is an average American going to have it all? Is it even possible to have “it all,” the luxurious car, a dream house, a great career, and a picturesque family? Sure, but someone eventually will have to pay the price of sacrificing a commitment. Arguably, women have a tough choice in between focusing on their career or attending their family. But do men have the same problem? Anne-Marie Slaughter, former Director Policy Planner at the State Department and author of “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” impacted many young and elderly women with her claim. Women were in shock when Slaughter complained about her job because it took too much time away from her family. Nevertheless, women weren’t the only ones offended by this article.

You Can’t Have Both The article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All”, written by Anne-Marie Slaughter, brings up the main issue of why women are unable to achieve high levels of leadership in their careers. Slaughter states her reasoning as to why women cannot achieve high positions in their field of work by giving a personal example. She had a fairly high level job as the first woman director of policy planning at the State Department. A job she clearly enjoyed and aspired to have, “…a foreign-policy dream job.…” Although she loved her job, she had to give it up because she was sacrificing family time for job time.

The article called Why Men Still Can’t Have It All by Richard Dorment. He is an editor at Esquire magazine in the July and June 2013. He was on television and radio programs about The Today Show, CNN Newsroom, Here and Now, and Upfront and Straightforward. He said either men or women have hard time to make balance time management for their work and life. Everyone have to make decide own choose for himself or herself what best for him or her.

In this article, Amy Walburn argues that the debate entitled “Having it all,” should include women who have nothing. In her opening statement she points out that the quest to “have it all,” means that educated women like her need to fight for equality in all aspects of life. The article begins with a brief introduction of her life, which justifies her position to air her view with regard to the topic in question. Walburn says that he experience as a young professional in America, and a woman who is in the verge of constructing her family, she has had the urge to speak on challenges that women face around the globe.

Women are powerful, as women, we can accomplish anything. Women can become stars, officeholders and other powerful positions in society. Ambition is a word that means you have a strong desire to achieve something, but today supposedly it has gotten a nasty streak on it. All three of these essays focus on women and how they have powerful roles in life; their jobs are high in pay. These powerful women are trying to say what is on their mind, but people instead disfavor them because of their words. People are shaming them because they have high-powered jobs that they worked tirelessly to earn that job and, consequently, decided to leave instead of staying there. Equality for all is feminism, which these articles are for that, showing how women should accomplish what they want.

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