Archive for October, 2009
Posted by espressodog on October 29, 2009
One of the great myths of public service is that working for the federal government comes with great benefits. While that may have been true in the past, those benefits have not kept up with the changing demographics of the federal workforce. Right now the federal government lags behind the private sector and the world in family-friendly workplace policies.
75 percent of Fortune 100 companies provide an average of six to eight weeks of paid leave to new mothers and two weeks for new fathers. Federal employees get NO paid parental leave. Instead we treat parenting as a short-term disability or illness. The U.S. is the only industrialized country that does not offer some form of paid parental leave. The European Union guides its 27 member states to offer a minimum of fourteen weeks of paid maternity leave.
The Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act (FEPPLA) will provide federal workers with up to four weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child. The Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act is an important first step toward establishing the federal government as a model employer. FEPPLA will help our federal government recruit and retain dedicated and talented workers, enable working parents to care for and bond with newborns and newly-adopted children, and show that the federal government truly values families. Like many pieces of work-life balance legislation, FEPPLA has passed the House, but remains mired in the Senate.
Paid parental leave ensures that parents can take time off to care for a new child without suffering devastating financial consequences. The current practice of saving unused vacation time and sick days may work for the lucky family who never gets sick, but it is unrealistic for most families. For low-wage workers, new employees who haven’t built up their vacation time, or those who have used up their sick days before delivery, having a child means that they will either lose several weeks of pay that is crucial to their family’s survival, or return to work immediately after the child is born.
The American family has changed dramatically in the last 50 years. Federal employee benefits should reflect the way we live now – not a half-century ago. In the 1960s, the overwhelming majority – 70% — of American families with children had a mother who stayed home to provide round-the-clock childcare. Today, that statistic is reversed: two-thirds of families with children have either two employed parents, or a single employed parent, most of whom now work full-time. Not only are many more parents working, but working parents today work longer hours than their counterparts of a half century ago. Times have changed; so should our benefit policies.
Offering paid parental leave will help the federal government recruit and retain dedicated and talented workers and compete with the private sector. The federal workforce is aging and family-friendly benefits could help attract younger workers. From 1994-2004, the average age of federal workers increased from 43.6 years to 46.7 years. Younger workers are leaving public service because the benefits are not keeping up with their needs.
As the nation’s largest employer, the Federal Government should be a leader in family-friendly workplace policy.
Posted in Advocacy, Families, Politics, Successful Workplaces, Worklife Balance | Tagged: gender roles, paid parental leave, Successful Workplaces, work-life, work-life balance, workplace | 3 Comments »
Posted by egehl on October 29, 2009
Over the last two weeks there has been a flurry of media activity and discussion about the state of women in our country because of a new report, “A Woman’s Nation”, released by the Center for American Progress in partnership with Maria Shriver. It’s been exciting to watch the conversation about women unfold in the media’s major news outlets including Time Magazine, NBC Nightly News and CNN’s coverage of The Women’s Conference in California.
While the impetus to write “A Woman’s Nation” was to explore the state of women in modern society it was also to look at how men and women can have the support they need to reach their potential and lead fulfilled, healthy lives. To examine this further, the report covers a wide range of issues that women and men face in their personal, professional and economic lives.
To build on “A Woman’s Nation” the cover story of last week’s Time Magazine entitled “The American Woman” included a poll that asked men and women their thoughts and opinions on a whole host of issues. Included in the poll was a question around whether businesses have done enough for modern families. The poll found that “Eighty-four percent of Americans agree (53% strongly) that businesses haven’t done enough to address the needs of modern families. Asked what would have to change to make it easier to balance work and marriage and children, 54% of women and 49% of men said more-flexible work hours or schedules; 15% of women and 17% of men said more paid time off; and 13% of women and 12% of men said better or more day-care options.”
This poll result struck me because it showed that men and women equally view the need for better flexible work options and policies to support their demanding lives.
Historically work-life balance has been regarded as a women’s issue but that is rapidly shifting as women outnumber men in the workforce, more men lose their jobs and must stay at home, and the strain of balancing work and family falls onto everyone more evenly. Work-life balance is a family issue that impacts both genders. However typically it’s been women who have embraced the issue and advocated for policies that will bring about better flexibility, such as paid Family and Medical Leave and paid sick leave.
Our society has yet to figure out a way to tag workplace flexibility as critical to men despite ample reasoning and evidence that men are happier and healthier if they have opportunities to invest more time and energy outside of the workplace. Regardless there are very few men who are taking on this issue in a substantive way, and that needs to change. Men must be involved for there to be stronger political will toward passing legislation and changing the mindset of business. Women’s voices cannot be the only ones heard in the halls of Congress and corporations that flexible work policies are not just needed, but demanded. Men must join the chorus.
In a recent article in The American Prospect entitled “Work/Life Balance is Not a Women’s Issue” it goes on to say that “men need to transcend from the personal into the political, as women have done. It’s great to get a good laugh out of playground politics, but it’s imperative to look beyond the purview of the local park and start advocating for change at the federal level.”
All of us have a stake in whether there is a shift in our society and employers internalize flexibility as a key part of running a successful organization. Anyone who hopes to be a balanced person with relationships and passions outside of work has to speak up, and that includes men.
However what will it take to get men to stand up for these issues in a powerful way? The catalyst is unknown but with a disproportionate amount of men losing their jobs during this recession, and a change in gender roles happening in homes nationwide, work-life balance will resonate with men more than ever before. Work-life advocates should tap into this shift and encourage men to join women in their quest to change the attitudes of business and Congress to support workplace flexibility options.
Now is a great opportunity to rebuild what’s fallen apart during the recession. As employers rebuild their workforces after giant layoffs it is an opportune time to put back their organizations in a more enlightened and egalitarian way. Businesses need to be engaged and encouraged through research and evidence about how and why workplace flexibility works and helps their bottom line.
However for this to happen there must be an enormous amount of public dialogue and engagement from both genders to ask for more supportive workplaces so that they can achieve a higher quality of life.
Posted in Successful Workplaces, Worklife Balance | Tagged: A Woman's Nation, work-life balance, workplace flexibility | 1 Comment »
Posted by ywmguest on October 27, 2009
Today’s guest blogger is Tal Schapira, BPW Foundation intern extraordinaire.
Studying in the Political Mecca of the United States has its advantages. I run
on the National Mall and see the Lincoln Memorial every morning. I often have to wait for a Presidential motorcade to pass as I walk to class. And, I can intern at BPW Foundation and get sent to Capitol Hill!
Last Friday morning, I attended a congressional briefing on the importance of FWAs. What are FWA’s you may ask? FWA = flexible work arrangements. FWAs include flexibility around schedule (10-6 instead of 9-5), hours worked (part-time, job sharing) and place of work (telecommuting). At the briefing, a panel of 12 representatives from business, senior, disability, women’s and work-family organizations all discussed why FWAs are important for the groups they represent. The diversity of the panel revealed the relevance of FWAs in the current job market and confirmed their positive effects on the workplace. Flexible work arrangements benefit everyone – employer and employee – because they recognizes that everyone has familial, personal, and unexpected responsibilities.
Society tends to move forward. We recognize the negative effects of ingrained practices and change accordingly. Why then, has the workplace remained stagnant in the face of an obviously changing workforce? Life expectancy has increased and people are willing and able to work past the retirement age. My dad is 50 and nowhere near retirement! At age 50, the minimum age for joining the AARP, a worker may have kids and older parents to care for and their school performances and medical appointments often happen during the traditional 40 hour, 9-5 work week. A flexible work schedule enables all employees to balance familial and work responsibilities and is necessary for all workers, not just parents.
Flexibility will help employers retain good workers and maintain workforce stability, while giving employees increased job satisfaction. Employees with health conditions, young children, older parents or long commutes may benefit from a compressed work week, predictable schedules, or telecommuting and other alternatives to the traditional 9-5. As we develop socially, economically and culturally, the need for flexible work arrangements is evident.
Posted in Successful Workplaces, Worklife Balance | Tagged: family, flexible work arrangements, policy, Successful Workplaces, work-life, work-life balance, workplace, workplace diversity | 2 Comments »
Posted by ywmguest on October 27, 2009
We love our network of working women advocates. YWM encourages you to find ways to manage both your career and your children. Today’s guest blogger is Adrienne Carlson.
My friends and I have a raging ongoing debate – are the kids of working moms more secure and self confident than those of their stay at home counterparts?
My answer is that it all depends on the mom in question.
In my experience, I’ve seen moms who stay at home neglect their kids, and I’ve also met working moms who doted on their offspring and took the best care of them. The working moms who manage to juggle both career and children with great efficiency do so because of they’ve figured out a few tricks along the way.
4 Ways Moms Manage a Career and Children
• They are organized: Working moms generally operate according to timetables and schedules that they have set for themselves. They are prompt and precise in all their activities and they plan their days to the last minute. They’re usually up at the crack of dawn, preparing meals for their kids and spouses and running around during their free hours doing errands and getting their chores done. They use weekends to cook healthy meals for their family and freeze them, and to catch up on the laundry and other household tasks.
• They make the effort: Efficient mothers go the extra step to cater to the needs of their kids, especially when they’re little. While they may have childcare, they make the effort to be with their children when it really matters. They’re there for all the important events in their kids’ lives, starting with being there to tuck them in to bed every night.
• They have supportive spouses: If working mothers have to continue to be efficient in rearing their children, they need to be supported adequately by their husbands or partners. Their spouses must assume an equal amount of responsibility for the children too, or the marriage is going to be put under a considerable amount of strain.
• They teach their kids to be independent: As their kids become older and gain in confidence, working mothers stop babying them and instead encourage them to be responsible for their own lives. They teach their kids to be independent and to help around the house. They are supported by their children in their efforts to become super moms, and this is why they are as efficient as they seem to be.
It’s not that hard to manage both a home and a career and be successful at both – all you need to do is be dedicated and organized.
Adrienne Carlson regularly writes on the topic of nurse practitioner schools. Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at adrienne.carlson1@gmail.com or info@youngwomenmisbehavin.org.
photo credit
Posted in Families, Worklife Balance | 1 Comment »
Posted by Gen Yner on October 26, 2009
Listen up ladies and gents, the battle is over. “The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything,” a study by Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress, boldly declares:
The battle of the sexes is over. Men and woman overwhelmingly agree on what they want in life, and how they view their roles in marriage, as parents, and in their jobs.
The battle has been replaced by the “Negotiation Between the Sexes.” No longer locked in competition, men and women are negotiating everything from work to family to elder care.
I should be shouting “hip hip hooray,” right? Unfortunately, my pesky Gen Y cynicism is exposing itself. I don’t think that the battle is over. The transformation within the household is not being reflected in the market. The declaration fails to acknowledge that gender relations exist beyond the household. Women and men may be “negotiating” and “sharing” household responsibilities, but gender disparities outside the household are alive and well.
Let’s take women’s economic participation, for example. Here’s what we know:
- Labor Market Sex Segmentation. Although my favorite female heroines on TV are world-class surgeons and high-powered lawyers, the top five professions for women in 2008 were: administrative assistants, registered nurses, elementary teachers, middle school teachers, and cashiers and retail salespersons.
- Gender Wage Gap. It’s well known that women continue to make less than 80 cents for every dollar a man makes. What is not always reported, though, is how this inequality adds up over time. The gender wage gap results in a $434,000 wage loss over a woman’s 40-year career.
- Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. I may not worry about being chased through the office by male colleagues who want a peek at my panties like in Mad Men, but that doesn’t mean the war on sexual harassment has been won. In a recent poll, 31 % of women workers reported they had been harassed at work. Of those women, 43 % were harassed by a supervisor and 27 % by an employee senior to them.
If we’ve entered a new phase of “negotiation” why the persistent inequalities? In my readings of the headlines, women still risk being fired if they try to “negotiate” equitable pay. And, there must be some fear of retribution behind the fact that 62 % of women who are harassed never take action.
The gains that women have made are important, but it’s premature to say the “battle” is over. It will not be over until greater gender equality is achieved in all areas of life: economic, political, and social.
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Posted in Families, Feminism, Gen X & Gen Y, Pay Equity, Politics, Worklife Balance | Tagged: A Woman's Nation, battle of the sexes, gender wage gap, shriver report | Leave a Comment »
Posted by YWM on October 22, 2009
Over the years, there’s been plenty of shaming big employers — picketing, signs with attack slogans, marching in the streets. But the game of us-against-them doesn’t work.
In order to transform the workplace to better reflect today’s workforce, we need to think about how to make working women and their families happy.
Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Foundation learned some tips to creating successful workplaces for both employers and their employees. Well, there are actually quite a few, but at least we know these efforts are worth it and it seems that the stock market is starting to agree.
In a Harvard Business Review article, Freek Vermeulen cites a study by Professor Michelle Arthur, from the University of New Mexico, that measures the stock market’s attitude toward Fortune 500 companies’ announcement of work-life programs.
The findings show that there is a 4.8% positive swing when this type of news is released. For perspective, there was a slightly negative response (-0.35%) back in the 1980s.
In recognition of October as National Work and Family Month, BPW Foundation came up with a “tip sheet” to help all workplaces become better aligned with today’s workforce.
Successful Workplaces Tip Sheet:
1. Flexibility. Maybe there’s no such thing as balance. But at least employers can offer their employees the tools–telecommuting options, shift exchanges, compressed work weeks–to better manage their life inside and outside of the workplace.
2. Diversity. It’s more than filling quotas. Define it as broadly as possible for a competitive advantage: race, age, gender, orientation, disability, religion. Because, according to a study out this summer, “the mere presence of social diversity makes people with independent points of view more willing to voice those points of view, and others more willing to listen.”
3. Equity. It currently takes 16 months for a woman to earn what a man makes in 12 months. And that’s not even adjusted for race. Make equity in both pay and access for positions and promotions a priority.
Posted in BPW, Diversity, Families, Gen X & Gen Y, Pay Equity, Successful Workplaces, Sustainability, Workforce Development/HR, Worklife Balance, green | Tagged: huffinton post, work and family month, workplace | Leave a Comment »
Posted by egehl on October 20, 2009
There are certain concepts to me that seem like a “no brainer”. And one of those is finally establishing a women’s history museum along the National Mall in Washington, DC. It amazes me that we have national museums about spies, the media, stamps and poetry but not the history and tireless efforts of women. We need this museum so that our nation can appropriately honor the remarkable women before us and educate the public and future generations about the momentous accomplishments women have made in American history.
The effort to establish a women’s history museum is moving forward at a snail’s pace yet there are signs of progress. On October 14th the House of Representatives passed legislation that would allow the National Women’s History Museum, a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution, to purchase federal land at 12th and Independence to build a world class museum.
The mission of the National Women’s History Museum is to gather and chronicle the amazing history untold or under represented in our Nation’s Capital of the role women have played in helping to build our nation and society. The organization is dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and celebrating the diverse historic contributions of women, and integrating this rich heritage fully into our nation’s history. Once established, the museum aims to teach the public and future generations about the accomplishments and stories of women who, individually and collectively, have woven our nation’s fabric.
The legislation, also known as The National Women’s History Museum Act of 2009 (HR 1700), would finally put into motion what has been needed for years–to fully and accurately portray all of the important players and events that have happened in our country and that must include the history of women. To leave women out is forgetting a critical aspect of how we have developed as a society and why women have the rights we enjoy today. Women deserve a front seat on our National Mall, and a location solely designed for them so that their contributions can finally be told to a national and international audience.
I applaud the House of Representatives for passing this legislation and I hope the Senate will act swiftly. We are long overdue to create a space that will honor women and chronicle how women’s lives have gotten us to where we are today.
Photo Credit
Posted in Advocacy, Feminism, Research, Woman Misbehavin', Women's History Month | Tagged: National Mall, National Women's History Museum, women's history | 1 Comment »
Posted by egehl on October 16, 2009
This Sunday NBC’s Meet the Press will kick off a week long series of reports entitled “A Woman’s Nation”. The series will be a new, empirical look at the state of women in America. The show will talk about an upcoming project being lead by California’s First Lady Maria Shriver in partnership with the Center for American Progress to further examine how women are faring on a whole host of issues. Meet the Press will include commentary from Maria Shriver, Valerie Jarrett who is the Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls and John Podesta who is the President of the Center for American Progress.
“A Woman’s Nation” is long overdue so that our country gains a better picture of the challenges facing women and how government, business, faith organizations and individuals can support them. Now that women make up half the workforce, hold significant leadership positions and are becoming the primary breadwinners for many families it’s important to see how women are faring in today’s society.
The project will include the Shriver Report which will combine the work of economists and academics to address the consequences of women’s more prominent economic status. The report will also examine how women and men interact in our society today by utilizing on-the-ground research and analysis. The findings will be disseminated to the public, Congress and the Administration. Specifically, they will also be reported to the White House Council on Women and Girls to help define and influence their work in supporting women.
The last time a similar report was done was in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy appointed Eleanor Roosevelt to chair a commission to report on the status of women. Much has happened since then and women’s roles have experienced a dramatic shift. Many changes have occurred in family roles and the work-life tensions women feel everyday. Women are feeling greater pressure to do more at home and at work, and this is impacting their emotional and physical well-being. Overall A Woman’s Nation hopes to shed some light about these and many other important issues facing women’s lives.
Finally, A Woman’s Nation will include roundtables, a national poll, and interviews with icons of the women’s movement and other prominent leaders. The preliminary report will be released in the fall and a book will follow soon thereafter. This project will surely come up with new and interesting findings that will hopefully influence the thoughts and attitudes about women’s contributions.
Posted in Economy, Families, Research, Successful Workplaces | Tagged: A Woman's Nation, Center for American Progress, Maria Shriver, Meet the Press, White House Council for Women and Girls | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Gen Yner on October 15, 2009
I’m a big fan of the iPhone. From the Chipotle order application that shaves 5 minutes off of my lunch run to the red laser application that ensures I always get the best deal, I appreciate the daily appearance of new applications that make my life a little easier.
What I don’t appreciate, though, is blatantly sexist apps like the new PepsiCo app – “AMP Up Before You Score.” The goal of the new iPhone app is to help men “score” with 24 types of women. The categories of potential conquests include “cougar,” “punk girl” and “bookworm.” The app also provides a platform for men to flaunt their success through the Brag List that keeps track of names, dates and details.
The app generated such outrage online that PepsiCo responded using Twitter:
Our app tried 2 show the humorous lengths guys go 2 pick up women. We apologize if it’s bad taste & appreciate your feedback.
Bad taste, seriously? This is not simply a tacky marketing move. This is a gender exploitative marketing strategy. Gender stereotypes are manipulated in pursuit of economic outcomes – increased sales for AMP Energy Drink. As Robert Jensen, professor at the University of Texas-Austin, said:
For Pepsi to frame their apology as a matter of bad taste is to ignore the systematic objective and sexual exploitation of women in contemporary culture.
As you can tell, this really “amps” me up. I don’t even drink carbonated beverages and I’m ready to grab a coke.
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Posted in Advocacy, BPW, Feminism, Gen X & Gen Y, Social Media | Tagged: Economy, equality, Gen X & Gen Y, gender roles, men, power, women | 2 Comments »
Posted by espressodog on October 15, 2009
Coming ‘home’ to Chicagoland was a big shocker to say the least. Primarily, the colors and noises and choices were overwhelming to me. I felt like Alice dropping into the rabbit hole. My first trip to WalMart resulted in a tearful meltdown – we never had choices like that at the PX/BX/Navy Exchange.
– Racquel Orenick US Navy Veteran & Average Civilian Jane
BPW Foundation hears stories like this all time as military women face the challenge of successfully transitioning into civilian life and the workforce. Millions of America’s bravest and most exceptional women serve our country in the Armed Forces. Women comprise 15 percent of the active military, 8 percent of the total US veteran population, and 18 percent of the Iraq and Afghanistan veteran population.
That is over 1.8 million women veterans! As women veterans enter the civilian workforce, they say they desire the same things from the workplace as other working women and experience many of the same challenges. However, as this unique group of working women returns home to their civilian lives and families, their needs are not receiving adequate attention and support. Issues impacting all working women–including pay equity, career advancement, and access to benefits such as health care–are magnified by challenges such as injury, sexual trauma, homelessness and PTSD.
BPW Foundation’s research indicates that most women veterans:
- are married
- nearly half are primary earners
- do not self-identify as veterans
- more likely to be underemployed than male veterans
- 3.6 times more likely than women who are not veterans to become homeless
- struggle with networking and finding rewarding employment
- are unsure about how to apply for veteran benefits or what is available
- often lack understanding on how skills gained in the military can be applied to civilian jobs.
The millitary offers little transition time or assistance before separating and that is where YOU come in. BPW Foundation’s Dear Jane letter-writing campaign connects women veterans with woman getting ready to exit the military. By sharing experiences and giving practical advice, women veterans will serve as mentors to help female soldiers with their transition into civilian life.
Working with partners and existing networks, BPW Foundation will send the letters on Veteran’s Day to deployed women who are preparing to exit military service.
Send us your Dear Jane letter today!
Posted in Advocacy, BPW, Families, Gen X & Gen Y, Mental health, Research, Successful Workplaces, Veterans | Tagged: military, policy, stress, Veterans, women, workplace | 7 Comments »
