May 16, 2006
Articles
A Mother's Day Wish
“It being Mother's Day and all, I figured it was time for a wish list. The Working Mom's Wish List. Oh, sure, I know all you moms are sitting there right now, looking at that carefully crafted Popsicle-stick card your little ones made you. But if those little ones had all the power in the world, I can guess what you, dear working mom, would ask that they give you. In short: flexibility.” Mentions Katie Corrigan and Ellen Galinsky.
Mothers United
"Laurie Pettine of Mendham sat in the green room at the ‘Good Morning America’ studio in New York six weeks ago, ready to go on the air for a segment about the ‘mommy wars,’ that decades-old conflict between at-home and working mothers. Instead of sniping at each, the mothers assembled for the show -- including Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, and dedicated at-home moms -- agreed it was time to get over the one-upwomanship. By the time the cameras started rolling, a truce had been declared.” Mentions Workplace Flexibility 2010, The New America Foundation and Ellen Galinsky.
Moms Find Creative Solutions to Work, Parenting
"For many working mothers, the challenge of balancing home and career seems overwhelming, but for YWCA Co-Directors Robin Sharp and Leslie L. Eza, thinking outside of the box has afforded them opportunities that other working mothers may only see in their dreams.”
Do Moms Make Better Managers
"Do mothers make better leaders than women without children? Most employees think so. Most employers don't. A survey last Mother's Day by the professional women's networking organization WorldWit found that 69% would rather work for a mother than a non-mother, and only 2% prefer a non-mother. They say mothers have patience and listening skills, and understand when others encounter family demands.”
Op-eds
The Family as Firing Offense
"This may sound like it's going to be one of those self-pitying Mother's Day columns. It's not. I've done my fair share of agonizing in print about the implacable tensions between work and family, but I'm moved this Mother's Day to feel rather sheepish about such laments. The reason for my embarrassment is a report by the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California at Hastings: ‘One Sick Child Away From Being Fired: When Opting Out is Not an Option.’ With that stark title, the report punctures the entitled, self-referential perspective from which journalists tend to write about working mothers.” Mentions Joan Williams.
We Can Afford to Give Parents a Break
"In an era when the mythology of motherhood is slowly yielding to the realities, it seems only appropriate to disabuse ourselves of some of the myths surrounding our government's treatment of mothers. Perhaps the most obvious yardstick of governmental respect for mothers is maternity leave policy.”
The Other Mothers
"Much has been written recently about highly educated women choosing to take time out from their careers to raise a family. Unfortunately, little attention has been given to the challenges facing women at the opposite end of the pay scale.”
Blogs
A Good Present for Mother's Day? Try Economic Equality
"I remember when I first tried pitching political op-eds for Mothers’ Day five years ago. ‘Forget the flowers and chocolate,’ I wrote, ‘what mothers really want is economic equality.’ Too edgy. This year, it’s not. I feel a tipping point coming on.” Mentions Chai Feldblum.