6.25.12 ~ Talking motherhood + work on OPB’s Think Out Loud

June 25, 2012
Andrea with her two kids

When Anne-Marie Slaughter’s important article in The Atlantic, “Why Women Can’t Have It All,” went live last week, we knew it would be big.  And rightly so.  Ms. Slaughter is an exceptionally accomplished woman who decided to speak openly, honestly and constructively about the fact that motherhood and work aren’t compatible enough in the U.S. for mothers to reach the highest levels of power and success.

Which is a problem not just for American women (and their families), but also for our nation.  When women are systematically prevented from reaching real positions of power, it impacts our public policies – affecting everything from childcare programs to war policy.

Of course the same “motherhood-work” incompatibility that Ms. Slaughter experienced at the highest levels of the career ladder also affect lower-wage mothers and their families, albeit in different ways that have more to do with cyclical poverty and childcare affordability than time-macho schedules and telework.

And, as Ms. Slaughter notes, many dads are experiencing some of the same work-family conflicts – now more than ever – and their participation at home is one important piece of creating real solutions for mothers at work.

These are the very real problems that Family Forward Oregon has been working hard to solve with employers and lawmakers right here at home.  Because the truth is, many of the public policy solutions we need as a nation are born at the state level before heading to Congress.

Hear FFO’s Executive Director on OPB’s Think Out Loud

If this conversation has your attention (we bet it does!), then you’ll want to listen and participate in OPB’s Think Out Loud radio call-in show on Monday, June 25th from 9-10 AM.  Our Executive Director, Andrea Paluso, is a guest on the show!

To dive in, read Ms. Slaughter’s Atlantic article, “Why She Can’t Have It All” (it’s long, but well worth it). And if you’re like many parents and don’t have much time to read, you can listen to an interview with Ms. Slaughter on NPR’s Fresh Air.

Remember to tune in to Think Out Loud on OPB on Monday morning, June 25th from 9-10 AM. The more Oregon mothers (and fathers!) who hear and join the conversation, the better.  After all, culture change is part of the solution, and culture change very often begins with participating in – and changing – the conversation.