So an article in The Atlantic magazine has women talking this morning. The cover asks “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All.” Author
Anne-Marie Slaughter, a professor at Princeton, former director of policy planning at the U.S. State Department, who ultimately gave up her job to go home with her boys. So, this is my story. I was a bit upset when I saw the hoopla. Hey, I wrote this 6 years ago. But, I sided with the idea of going home. And while Slaughter also believes what I believe because she ultimately give up her job for her family, she somehow comes out supporting the struggle of the career woman. That if companies would be more understanding with job sharing, sick kids, and family dinners, women could indeed have it all. But once again, I will ask, why? Why do we want it? We don’t. Why can’t Slaughter admit that she gave up the best years with her babies for her job? It took her teenage son going through some rough patches for her to realize she should go home. And it takes something, for most of career women to realize the title isn’t worth the hype. But not for all women. It is the women with the husbands who could support them who have the luxury of these choices. For the women who have to work to support their families, they have no choice. For that, we must insist as Slaughter says for bosses to be more flexible and understanding. But I will say it again that the argument must change from struggling to have it all to putting family first. And that is it. We must as women begin to admit out loud that we want to be with our babies. And that is it. No excuses. We want to mother our children first. And that needs to be respected by all.
Leave a Reply