Happy International Women’s Day
March 8th, 2007
Welcome to March 8th, otherwise known as International Women’s Day (a.k.a. International Working Women’s Day). In honor of estrogen, I thought I’d direct your attention to “The Motherhood Experiment,” an oh so interesting New York Times Magazine piece by journalist Sharon Lerner on how family-friendly workplace policies correlate to population growth (or lack thereof) around the world.
This is not a pro- or anti-procreation piece. Nor is it an attempt to fan the flames of the mommy wars. It’s simply meant to point out that workplace policies may be affecting population growth, as women in the world’s wealthier nations seriously weigh how breeding might impact their careers and vice versa. I don’t know about you, but this is not something my mother mulled over before having my sister and me. But it’s certainly something I’ve weighed over the years.
But enough about me. Check out this kickass excerpt:
To the dismay of pundits and politicians alike, women in industrialized countries and elsewhere have been bearing fewer and fewer children. More than 90 states have fertility rates below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman, and the trend, which began in the early 1960s, is already leading to fewer workers, graying populations and dire predictions about vanishing peoples. While scholars blame several phenomena, including greater access to birth control, later marriage and a drop in what one researcher calls “hopefulness about the future,” many researchers agree that at least part of the problem is due to the particular burdens women face in the work force. If becoming a mother requires a woman to take a huge financial and professional hit, the thinking goes, she will be far less likely do it.
Could it be, then, that easing a woman’s ability to hold a job and raise children simultaneously will nudge her toward having a bigger family? At least 45 countries in Europe and Asia are betting on it, having instituted government programs to maintain or raise their fertility rates. Contrary to the rhetoric of many family-values champions, their example suggests that the promotion of larger families and the promotion of women’s careers may go hand in hand.
Read the rest here. And if you want to add your two cents to the discussion, comment away.
Entry Filed under: Balance,Working moms
6 Comments Add your own
1. ddv | March 8th, 2007 at 9:32 am
there are too many people in the world anyway… while i dont think NOT providing job security, time off and benefits is the way to go to limit the population (and women’s careers), i’m ok if every woman on the planet doesn’t pop out 2.1 kids…
ddv
2. marisa estrada | March 8th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
being a mother is a huge responsiblitly whether a woman works or not. my main concern is are women having kids for the right reasons and are they willing to put their best foot forward to raise an individual contributing person that will hopefully give back to this world.
on a side note: i just came across this blog and love it. the 14th of this month marks my 1 year anniversary of taking the plunge and leaving the cube!!! thanks for this!
3. Anne | March 8th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
If there were better child care options out there, I would consider possibly returning to the cube. I continually ask myself what type of example I want to set for my two daughters – to work or not to work.
For now, my conclusion is to teach them to find what makes them happy and pursue that passionately. But the system in place now does not make that easy for a woman to do if that passion is to both bear children and pursue other options. Guess that’s another lesson I will impart…
4. Michelle Goodman | March 9th, 2007 at 7:21 am
thx for the comments, people, and the kudos, marisa. congrats on your cubicle escape. keep the comments coming, folks. opinions are the spice of life. or something…
5. Anne | March 9th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Its interesting that a lot of people recognize the problem, but rarely offer solutions (I am guilty). Perhaps we are all too tired
I think the first step is to end the mommy wars – women need to support each other no matter what choice they make – motherhood, career or both. This forum and the many links associated with it have provided a great place to start.
6. Michelle Goodman | March 9th, 2007 at 9:59 am
aw, thanks, anne. also, i think self-employment is one great solution. and it’s no coincidence that women start businesses at twice the rate of men. until govt and employers start recognizing that people have lives outside work, all we can do is buck the system, or try to negotiate for the hours/pay/flexibility/bennies we want within it, and organize organize organize. check out http://www.momsrising.org if you want to organize.
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