Wonky Washington is making merry about the 20th anniversary of President Clinton’s signing of the Family Medical Leave. This was the federal law that required some employers to allow some employees to take up to 12 weeks away from work, without pay, to deal with the birth or adoption of a child, a family member’s serious [...]
Archive | Family Friendly Policies RSS feed for this section
Without Us, You’re Nothing
Remember when Mika Brezezinski, co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, put out her book Knowing Your Value? It was advertised as a “surprisingly honest and unexpectedly revealing look at gender inequality in the workplace.” Mika argued that women generally underestimate their own worth and, for this reason, don’t advocate vigorously for themselves, and thus don’t receive the pay [...]
To Birth, Or Not To Birth?
It’s all about who is having babies – or perhaps more accurately, who is NOT having babies. The declining birth rate in the U.S. prompted much discussion, some of which you’ll find below. The only thing the writers agree on is that fewer women are opting to become mothers. Arguments differ as to why motherhood has [...]
Ann Romney and the Caring Economy: The Politics of Motherhood
By: Riane Eisler and Valerie Young Who says partisan politics only results in division, discord, and gridlock? After this week’s media frenzy over whether or not Ann Romney was “working” when she raised five boys, a consensus of sorts has emerged. Both Democrats and Republicans agree unreservedly that childrearing is a very important activity, valuable [...]
Change & Opportunity
Mothers have a genius for on-the-spot problem solving. Sizing up a looming crisis in a nanosecond, we flip through our mental list of optional responses, then implement, discard, and substitute possible solutions until the crisis is resolved and order restored. Every single day mothers meet multiple opportunities for this kind of “rapid response” engagement head on. As the days multiply and the children [...]
The Best Job in the World
Why ease in to 2012 when we can take a flying leap directly into the epicenter of the maternal conflict? Sister blogger ButIDoHaveALawDegree graciously permits me to run her latest post here, in full, and I’m certain it will strike a major chord with you. I’ve not read a better expression of the maternal angst [...]
Mothers of the Century (21st)
Prepare to be impressed with yourselves, girls. The US Census Bureau just put out new numbers on maternity leave and employment which show we’ve spent the past 40 years investing wisely in ourselves. First time mothers are more likely to have at least an undergrad degree by the time they give birth, now at an average [...]
100 Best Companies for Family Friendly Policies – Really?
Working Mother magazine has just hit the desk, and the cover trumpets the annual listing of 100 Best Companies for working mothers and other caregivers. The implicit message is that American business acknowledges the value of workers with caregiving responsibilities, and is happily adopting workplace practices to enhance their effectiveness at both the work and [...]
Follow Us!