Mothers and Good Girls

September 7, 2012

I didn't hear the whole of Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention the other night, but I was there for the 'mom-in-chief' comment. I sighed but didn't think too much of it (exasperation explainer: as a non-mother, I often feel totally left out of society's concerns/interests, while motherhood is seen as the most important thing any woman can ever do). But the First Lady's emphasis on her maternal role has spurred a lot of comment on blogs and listserves as women go back and forth over whether Obama should have played up her past as a professional woman, including one who was originally her husband's boss. This piece on WNYC's Money Talking discusses the controversy and the current state of affairs for working women.

Also on the topic of motherhood, this Economist story irked me slightly, even though I see their larger point. It states that the main reason so few women make it to top positions at work comes down to motherhood. I have resisted weighing in on my home page about motherhood's role in women's (relative) lack of advancement because I think it's one of many factors that contribute to this, albeit a big one [since writing this I have changed the text on the homepage]. Still, approxmiately 20 percent of women in their early forties and above don't have children. Surely, this being the case, there should be a susbstantial number of non-mothers running companies or making partner at law firms. But there isn't. There are so many other reasons why women aren't well represented in leadership roles, from lack of confidence to wanting a sane, balanced life regardless of whether or not they have kids. Also, the Economist piece totally ignores the father's role in raising children. It has a somewhat condescending tone, making me, at the risk of being sexist, suspect the author is a man. (Then again, virtually all Economist articles sound like they're written by smug, middle-aged, white British males!)

Earlier today I interviewed author and journalist Lynn Povich about her new book, 'The Good Girls Revolt'. It's a rollicking tale of the Mad Men work era and the first female-led class action lawsuit, brought by Povich and others against her then-employer, Newsweek, in 1970. Newsweek had a tradition of having men as writers, women as researchers, a tradition the magazine was happy to honor until Povich and her colleagues took their (white) gloves off and filed their suit. Although much of the story looks back at a particular point in the history of the women's movement, it also asks how much has changed for women in the workplace since then. I'll release 'The Good Girls Revolt' episode of The Broad Experience early next week (update: it's out now).

The Broad Experience debuts in Miami

August 7, 2012

WLRN, Miami's public radio station, is about to start airing The Broad Experince once a month, beginning tonight during All Things Considered. Thanks to programming director Peter Maerz for taking an interest in the show - I'm thrilled it's being aired in such a great market. If you're a WLRN listener, please let me know what you think of the program in the comments section below. 

Broadly Speaking

July 19, 2012

The woman-centric news of the week has been Marissa Mayer's appointment as CEO of Yahoo. It's probably safe to say this information has generated as much as or more comment than the Anne-Marie Slaughter article on (not) having it all. Then came the news Mayer was pregnant - followed by swift assurances that she'd barely take any time off and would 'be working throughout' her maternity leave. Enough to leave a normal woman feeling exhasuted (and skeptical)? Manoush Zomorodi, who appears in episode 5 of The Broad Experience, doesn't hold back on Mayer's decision and her - and our - reaction to it. Dysfunctional boobs, anyone? 

Amanda Steinberg of DailyWorth has been a pregnant CEO herself and her take is pithy and just as uncensored (just do it; ignore the naysayers). The ladies from tech startup Skillcrush have a twist on that take themselves: this is fabulous news for women - we salute you, Marissa! Then there's Stacy-Marie Ishmael's view that Mayer's news, far from being encouraging, leaves glass ceilings everywhere firmly in place.

I read a couple of pieces within a day that made me think about the whole leadership question afresh. Both involved young - in the first case, very young - females. This piece from Live Science magazine describes a study where girls as young as six are already indicating they want to be viewed as 'sexy' and the second, published in Forbes Woman, is written by a 19-year-old who ascribes her generation's general lack of interest in leading anything to the fact that they're too busy trying to be, and look, perfect. She argues that being judged on your looks, as women in public always are, is so stressful, what sane young woman would want to put herself out there in a leadership role? All I can say is that when I was that age I had no interest in leading anything either. Now I'm beginning to warm up to the idea. But it's taken me 20 years of experience in the adult world, complete with office politics, mistakes made, opportunities ignored or missed, dreams achieved and unachieved, to realize I might like to do this. Yes, the pressure to look good can feel crippling, but confidence often comes with age. Perhaps if someone asks this writer again in 10 years, she - and her contemporaries - may feel differently.

Episode 5: female entrepreneurship

July 6, 2012

I put together this latest show because a) I've been immersed in the world of entrepreneurship for a while now, thanks to CUNY's entrepreneurial journalism program, and it's made me curious and b) I am a cynic, so when I read a bunch of articles and tweets hyping female entrepreneurship, I'm wary. The last story I reported on female entrepreneurs was back in the winter and it didn't leave me with the feeling that everyone and her mother was suddenly starting their own company. But to read these pieces you'd think tons of women were quitting their jobs and going it alone. Some have, certainly (or become entrepreneurs out of necessity, having been laid off) but there's much about this topic that gets left out of all the 'you go girl' comments. And there are many skills needed to become a successful entrepreneur, skills a lot of women haven't cultivated, including that of asking for money.

Visit She Means Business to find out more about the documentary, which aims to shine a light on the successes and struggles of women entrepreneurs and provide a few role models, and Manoush Zomorodi's site for more on her and her book on (much needed) on-camera skills.