Working women are hot
It’s no secret the US has crummy public policy to support working families. I had breakfast this morning with Miriam Hollstein, a German reporter writing about working families. As I bitched about $30,000 infant day care, I prepared myself for the inevitable jealousy one faces when hearing from a European colleague about work and family issues.
Sure enough, in Germany, good day care costs no more than 300 Euros a year. New moms get a year’s paid maternity leave at 76% of their salary. Dads can take 2 months paid (I think- need to research this one). Should mothers choose to leave their jobs to take leave, their job, or an equivalent, is theirs for up to three years (FMLA is three months). Dream public policy for working families, no? And yet…Miriam said that in Germany, women still tend to work part time to cover child care, or they work part time because they feel guilty. Women still advance less than men professionally, and hold fewer leadership roles.
This issue goes beyond public policy. It’s so thorny. That’s why I’m so excited to see what comes out of A Woman’s Nation, a new effort from Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress. According to the press release, the project “will take a new, empirical look at American women who for the first time in our nation’s history make up fully half of all workers and are becoming the primary breadwinners in more families than ever before.”
“We will take a hard look at how women are doing in the United States today and consider the central question of the role government, business, and faith organizations, as well as individual women and men should play in supporting women’s role now in the workforce and the U.S. economy,“ said John Podesta, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress.
Also, the “Woman’s Nation will report its findings to the nation, Congress, and President Obama, who recently signed an executive order to establish a council to coordinate the federal government’s efforts to address the needs of women and girls.”
Hallelujah!
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About Me
Morra Aarons-Mele utilizes social media strategies to help employers, employees and communities connect. She also consults with leading organizations on how women can use the internet for professional and personal development. In her spare time, Morra enjoys blogging about women and politics. Read her full bio >>
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