Women are now half of the American workforce. Officially.
You may not be surprised, but consider all of the implications. How does being a true equal in the professional world change the way we raise families, get treated in the media, spend money, vote, relate to men and one another, play, exercise, and worship? How does it change the way the next generation sees their own potential, both professionally and personally?
These are some of the questions that Maria Shriver, along with the Center for American Progress, the University of Southern California's Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, and a crew of public intellectuals are exploring in a report to launch October 19 called "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything." I wrote one of two conclusions--an attempt to summarize much of what the report argues and point towards a more equal, fulfilling future for both women and men. I was so honored to be asked!
The Center for American Progress explains that the report will "combine the work of economists and academics to address the consequences of women's more prominent economic status in the institutions that matter most in American life, including government, business, faith, education, and health. The report will also include data from research and on-the-ground reporting around the country, looking especially at the interplay between women and men in our society today."
NBC news is planning to include coverage related to the study over a full week of its evening newscast and three mornings on the Today show. In addition, there will be a conference in DC on launch date, where many of the authors of the report will be there to discuss their analysis. Details to follow!
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Congratulations! It's always nice to be asked!
That picture -- worth a thousand words. Am I the only one who thinks it's showing off the wedding ring and the cross? I couldn't seem to miss it, no matter how hard I tried.
Hm.
The problem here is that there are plenty of women negatively impacted when their male spouse is involuntarily unemployed. I think the current labor participation rate now is less than 70%. If your situation is to stay home with your kids for a while, but then your husband loses his job, life sucks. If you and your spouse both work and need the two incomes and he loses his job, life sucks. This probably isn't wonderful news for women. There will always be women who freely choose to work at home as moms for at least part of their adult life, so exact parity in the work force generally means more hardship for women. The less affluent they are, the harder it will be. Looks like a lose-lose situation rather than a win-win unfortunately.
link to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics labor participation rate.
top of page 2: labor participation rate: 65.5
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
another problem is that 80% of women are clustered in 20 occupations (out of 420 identified by DOL), mostly service industry, mostly low-wage, low-benefits, and low-opportunities for advancement. workforce participation is obviously important, but diversity and equity may be more so.
Her spouse just removed 100 % of the funding from the state that went to shelters and treatment for abused women and children.
100%.
Just one of a very long list of the horrifying changes since her husband took office as "Governator" of Cali.
Here is a woman, raised in one of the most powerful and politically influencial families in the U.S., and she is married to a bigger problem than Reagan was (for Cali). I don't know exactly what I want her to do about it, I just know I lost respect for her and continue to lose more and more respect for her as her spouse, whose career she supports, continues to make horrifying decisions that destroy social programs and education in Cali.