Viewpoints On Career vs. Motherhood/Why ask women to choose?

Wendy Fertschneider from the San Luis Obispo Tribune wrote a jolting piece, posing the question — why is it that women are being asked by society to make a choice between career and family. I think she raises some excellent points.

She keenly states that it isn’t a blow against the feminist movement to have women putting off their careers to raise their children, but rather that it is a blow against the feminist movement that we are still pitting two values (work and family) against eachother and asking a woman to choose one of them.

That’s right. How can we as a society integrate family friendly work enviornments, telecommuting. more affordable insurance, longer maternity leaves etc. for working women? Or for that matter, as Wendy shines light on well in her piece, men?

Many of us have persevered in balancing both worlds by opening our own home businesses. That’s one answer to the situation but still sorely lacks the health insurance that our families need and that are a large percentage of even employed women’s income.

Check out her article here, and don’t forget to come back and comment with your thoughts.

Add comment November 17th, 2005