Achieving Women: Where Are Feminists When You Need Them

A friend of mine sent me this article about a family of four high achieving women. A couple things struck me:

1. They had a very strong father
2. They had a very strong mother
3. Their parents were married
4. The girls had to work very hard
5. They did not have preconceived notions of limitations
6. The women have either an only child or no children

I want to focus on the last point. It's a great article, please read the whole thing.

If the Feminist Movement wants to be relevant, they need to stop pounding away at abortion and start pounding away at a society and specifically employers that will not support a woman being both a mother and executive. In all cases, the husband had to leave the work-force to care for the children, which is all well and good, but the development of the child would be better served by having access to both parents.

The corporate world treats every moment like an emergency and the practical effect is that children are alone, with a nanny, or with only one parent.

This is an issue that affects BOTH men and women. For years flexible work schedules have bee shown to increase productivity and yet many companies steadfastly refuse to implement them--especially at the higher levels. The higher level executives tend to have less patience with subordinates that won't "sacrifice" like they have (read: sold their souls). This creates a punitive environment for anyone seeking to balance family needs with work objectives.

The solution to the problem of women being forced between her two creative imperatives (womb and work), is to accommodate both. It is possible. The Feminists need to sink their teeth into that issue.