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 [...]
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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 [...]
Motherhood Can Make You Crazy
What is it, exactly, that makes you nearly unrecognizable to yourself when you become a mother? It’s almost like falling through a portal into another dimension. The experience is so completely transforming. I didn’t really fully integrate all the different aspects of myself until 12 years into motherhood, when I got away, truly alone, for [...]
For Mothers Who Do Too Much
Nine mothers walk into a movieplex to watch their lives on screen in “I Don’t Know How She Does It”. The movie bears scant resemblance to their daily experience. So the nine mothers duck into a nearby watering hole and do exactly what you’d expect. They order a pitcher of sangria and talk about it. [...]
Competitive Mothering Takes a Hit
With an eyebrow firmly raised at all the Tiger Mother brouhaha, I was delighted to find this post from Cameron Mcdonald, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She’s written a book, “Shadow Mothers: Nannies, Au Pairs and the Micropolitics of Mothering” which looks as what she calls the “private to public [...]
In Memoriam – Dr. Elise Boulding and Waging Peace
Your (Wo)man in Washington keeps an eye on the obituaries in her daily paper as one way to monitor the status of women in society. Mostly, men receive the “mini biography” treatment with a few paragraphs about their life and work and perhaps an accompanying photo. Photos of women are less common, so the picture [...]
Dancing on the Thin End Of the Wedge
It all started with Madeleine Albright. As the first female US Secretary of State, her arrival on the world stage in 1997 seems in retrospect to have ushered in a sustained and expanding period of women in diplomacy. Usually “manned” by someone “pale, male, and Yale”, three of the last four occupants of this top [...]
Motherhood…Is The Issue
The Economist published a cover article in its New Year’s edition called “We Did It”, touting women’s 50% share of the paid labor force and asserting that “women’s economic empowerment is arguably the biggest social change of our times.” Quite correctly, the editors noted that while women generally have made strides, many barriers remain for [...]
In Washington and Around the World
As Your (Wo)man in Washington, I focus on how the public policy work done in the nation’s capital (or perhaps, more often, left undone) will affect your life wherever you are. From time to time, however, it helps to expand the perspective and listen to women around the world. The more I hear their voices, [...]
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