Women, Work, and Babies

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).

1.) Overall main topic of this book connects between the issue of motherhood and feminism. One major key point I found while reading this book is the author, Amber Kinser explains the growth and progress of the role of mothers in the american society meaning how the roles have changed overtime. A major theme of Kinser’s book is that the public debates may focus on mothering, but the issues affect us all.  Cutting back on health care for women, on education, and on jobs for teachers, social workers and others in the service sector have their greatest impact on mothers, but they affect all of us. Motherhood becomes a symbol for how men and women, single and married, gay and straight, deal with the need for individual options and the need to act for the good of others.

In recent history, the majority of the movement regarding the gender gap in the workplace has been in response to the opportunity available to males versus female. Today however, that debate topic has shifted to explain why opportunity does not grantee professional success and what role society plays on that restriction. It was already said by Sandberg that a difference in biology affects the choices individuals make, and that issue alone is independent from any social construct that would usually affect choices. Slaughter outlines one of these societal flaws is in the “unspoken rules” or norms of hiring and firing in Washington. She states, “to admit to, much less act on, maternal longings would have been fatal to their careers.” Often a euphemism for being fired is saying that one is leaving to focus on homemaking. It seems to be implied by the authors that often, merely having a family that deserves time and

In Judith Stadtman Tuckers “The Least Worst Choice: Why Mothers Opt out of the Work Place” Judith Stadtman Tucker looks at why hard working, intelligent woman are choosing to leave their high end jobs to stay at home with their children. Judith Stadtman Tucker expresses her option that it is nearly impossible to work 40 hours a week, be available on your off hours as well as raise children. I fully agree with Judith Stadtman Tucker’s point of view that it is absurd to have to be at the mercy of your employer even in your off hours, nor less if you are attempting to create an emotional connection and successfully raise a child. It is no question that even in today’s modern society that it is assumed that woman are the best caregivers for young children. If you are put in a position where you have a child to raise, is it more appropriate to abandon your career or to emotionally abandon your child to a stranger or strangers and allow them to raise it? Judith Stadtman Tuckers argument against mothers having to choose between the joys of parenthood and the freedom of being able to work a career really speaks to me because it makes me consider what I want for my own future and what I would choose.

In her interviews with woman she was sure to interview very well educated women and those that strived for mere perfection. One thing is that the men in the lives of these women were not supportive and not mentioned of much. The men and society of today have placed a lot of responsibility on a woman’s shoulders when it comes to the child. It is the woman who makes the decision or is given the task to make the heavy decisions regarding the child’s future. Because of this many women choose to stay at home to be sure that the children will receive everything that they deserve and that they are not lacking in any area. Another issue that she reviews is that employers do not work with moms at all. For example she talked about the scenario where two moms brought a solution to their problem to management yet it failed to receive approval instead one mother was offered more money (Guest, 2011). Employers are not very flexible when it comes to mothers and don’t provide the proper care that is needed for a child. Since men are the ones that don’t carry the responsibility of the child’s well-being having proper day care is not a factor for them. Then there is the cost of day care which is high and can at times not compare to what the individual is making.

Being a mother in this dystopian world is seen as a shameful act and something to be ridiculed because of. As being John the Savage’s

It is evident the messages of motherhood changed throughout the decades. In the 1950s the nuclear family was portrayed as the ideal family—mother, father and two children. It was during this decade in which the middle class was created. Mothers stayed at home to care for their children and the home. They were always nicely dressed, carried an immense smile and were ready to serve their husbands and children. I recognize the messages about motherhood being different from the 1950s to the 1960s in that the role of motherhood was socially influenced by women’s skin tone. Although slavery had ended—African Americans were yet to be free. White children from wealthy families were being raised by women of color while their mothers took care of solely

Do women belong in the workplace? Should employers treat them differently because of their responsibilities in the home? The article “Female Company President: ‘I’m Sorry to all the Mothers I Worked With’” by Kathrine Zaleski, president and co-founder of PowerToFly, argues that women can be both successful mothers and employees if employers take the initiative to accommodate them. She believes that women have the ability and skills to become both valuable employees and involved mothers, but employers need to make adjustments in several common work practices in order to build women up to their full potential.

Current media is an influencing factor of the pressure placed on western women to juggle the “double burdern”. “New media” as describe by writer Susan J. Douglas “is just as culpable as the “Old media” in perpetuating unrealistic cultural expectations about women, mothers and mothering” . The media portrays what J. Douglas refers as the “New Model Mom”, which describes the expectations of working mothers. The “New Model Mom” is athletically slender, always well groomed, smiling, always attentive to their husbands and has a perfectly balanced diet. This unrealistic image of the prefect mother is placing women with the sole responsibility of caring for the child, domestic duties and still being expected to return the workforce with no extra ask

She takes her to ballet class and swimming lessons weekly” (as cited in O’Reilly, 2008, p.413). Her husband is not the one doing these tasks, though her husband does often read, play and take on child rearing tasks. What this example represents is how women are the ones who are supposed to be there for their children. Women are the ones to put time and energy towards child rearing while, husbands are there to help. Therefore, Rachel’s example shows how intensive mothering can create women’s inequality within the home. The CBC documentary Hyper Parents, Coddled Kids connects with the ideology intensive mothering. A helicopter parent is a parent that is super involved in their children’s life hovering over them. It is seen as a competition for mothers and fathers what activities they put their children in and how much time they are investing in it. Highly motivated parents who are motivated to be parents tend to end up being hovering parents highly involved in the child`s life. This results in more unpaid work in most cases being done by women, which creates an unequal relationship with their spouse. Therefore, the ideology of intensive mothering creates inequality for many women within the

This article is about Sarita James, a chief executive of a college admissions software company, who deiced to bring her daughter, Uma, to the workplace. She explains that she missed the “problem-solving and camaraderie of work,” but still didn’t want to leave Uma at six weeks old. So, she brought her to work. She found that there is a movement being made by Parenting in the Workplace Institute to encourage bringing your child to work, due to its benefits in both parenting and in the workplace. In what way does this show the changing ideas of gender roles within a family?

Motherhood in America is something that takes a lot of work and dedication and can be considered a full time job. Sex and the City, black-ish, and Jane the Virgin are three examples that present motherhood in different lights. In the movie Sex and the City portrays motherhood as something no women can do alone. In black-ish it shows a dream world where a mother can work a full time job and still be able to be around for her kids. Compared to these unrealistic forms of media, Jane The Virgin shows the true struggles of raising a baby. It shows how it takes a village to raise a baby and how motherhood is not always sunshine and rainbows. Using Radical Cultural Feminism and Materialist Feminism, displays ways in which motherhood is depicted in these three films in order to reveal the struggles and overall rewarding experience of being a mother.

Woman are the birth givers of the world and they are penalized of doing so. More often than not, a first time mother will have to leave their job to take care of their new child. That by itself is not a problem, but the repercussions of doing so can last for years after a constant care is no longer needed. Ashley Nelson, who wrote in “Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Mom” the troubles a mother runs into when trying to balance a job and having a family. Stay-at-home mothers take massive hits to their personal careers, they are under constant scrutiny by the media, and they do not receive as many benefits as some other countries that allows mothers to return to their work force.

Women are the birth givers of the world and they are penalized for doing so. More often than not, a first time mother will have to leave their job to take care of their new child. That by itself is not a problem, but the repercussions of doing so can last for years after a constant care is no longer needed. Ashley Nelson, who wrote in “Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Mom” the troubles a mother runs into when trying to balance a job and having a family. Stay-at-home mothers take massive hits to their personal careers, they are under constant scrutiny by the media, and they do not receive as many benefits as some other countries that allow mothers to return to their work force.

War, a word that often describes the aftermath of a disagreement tends to often become a topic of conversation amongst Americans today. Since the founding of our fathers we have faced ample amounts of conflict. Justice amongst these circumstances is not easy to reach, sacrifices had been made and will continue to until the conclusion is met. While their loved ones are away, the families of the fighting soldiers face daily obstacles. These sacrifices often become overlooked and taken for granted. Women have always played an important role in the success of family life and the well being of our country under these circumstances; through the years, these tasks have ranged from work on the assembly lines to performing seamstress duties for a soldier’s uniform. Without this unwarranted support, we’d be at a loss during these disheartening times.