On Sunday morning, Meet the Press hosted a discussion with Center for American Progress chair John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President Valeria Jarrett and California First Lady Maria Shriver. They were there to talk about a new report released Friday by Shriver and CAP called A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything.
It’s an illuminating discussion and a fascinating study of how gender equity has evolved in recent decades. As Ms. Shriver noted on Meet the Press:
Well, I think what’s really important is these changes are permanent. Women are now half of the work force, two-thirds of mothers are primary breadwinners or co-breadwinners, and that this is where we are now in this country. And that change affects every institution that this country is dealing with. Less than 30 percent of kids have a stay-at-home parent today. What impact does that have to the government, to business, to men, to women, to faith-based institutions? So this report tries to chapter those things out and say all of these institutions have failed to adapt to this change that has happened, and that in order for them to survive and become smart about the American worker they must adapt and must change.
The report finds that in many instances, institutions and policy have failed to keep up with the changing realities of the new family dynamic. As Shriver said, “They need to get smarter. They need to get more progressive.” Senator Boxer has spent many years fighting in the House and the Senate for more progressive gender and family policy. Whether on health care, children and education, or women’s issues, it takes fighters like Barbara Boxer to keep policy moving in the right direction and ensure that it keeps up with the new family realities in modern America.
Tags: barbara boxer, economy, health care, john podesta, maria shriver, Policy, women
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I think that organized workers have long championed gender equity. Its an important component of justice issues.
There is no doubt that in today’s workplace women often lead and are recognized for their leadership. There is no one in the modern workforce that doesn’t already know this is the case. It may be surprising to some, but not to anyone I work around.
There are multiple examples that illustrate women bring to decision making unique perspective and qualities of mind that can be beneficial to crisis response and planning.
Complexity as a condition of conflict will be a fact for going forward.
It is apparent a new leadership quality of mind may be helpful in finding our path. Women in positions of power offer this kind of leadership.
There are various categories of problems that need to be mentioned here. One that many people don’t mention is wages, shorter work days, and other issues that Labor should be addressing and publicizing more. Pols have showed that ultimately, most problems named by thpse polled go back to work and emploment sources. Citizen Senator Boxer should help… Read More us out in Illinois by oeganizing our Senators to stop backing down on Progressive issues. Fight for real adequacy *not* these silly rhetorical schemes that Obama keeps coming away with. Thank you. We’d like to have you here.
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I’m an oldie, but I see that the younger generation does not carry on our old prejudices, and that’s a great thing. It’s time for gender to become a non-issue. As a woman, I agree with Maria Shriver (my hero) and the rest of the panel, but as a very-small-business owner, I’m torn over these issues. We have flexible hours and understand when workers have to stay home with their sick child or elder parent– I’ve had to do these myself– but our business can’t afford to pay them for time off. I don’t think there is a one-answer-fits-all for this issue, but we do need more flexibility in the workplace and more open minded corporate management at all levels.
I was born in 1970 – so I’ve seen a highly progressive side and a slow climb up a ladder. I’ve been challenged in the work force and sexually harassed in the work force. You never know what you’ll get when you take on a new job. I have found that working for younger people (younger than me), men or women, tends to be a tad more even keel. If I work for a boss, who is a man, and older than 48, I’m not usually taken seriously. I realize that is a powerful generalization, but it’s what I have personally gone through. I’m reminded of Hillary Clinton’s bid for the Presidency, act like a woman and you can’t possibly have the nerve to follow through on anything, act like a man and you’re too bossy or too harsh and people turn on you. We still have a long way to go. It makes me so proud to live in the State of California represented by two powerful women Senators who don’t have qualms about doing the right thing.
What would make things a bit more equal would be for men to have the same benefits as women do when it comes to family matters so that they are also given the burden of a sick child or parent in the way women are (for instance). There are many more things that could be outlined better by me but this is just one thing that tends to stick in my head. Because many men still aren’t given these opportunities concerning family affairs and the work place, women still have to fight harder and be smarter (being smarter is kind of easy – i kid!) in order to stand side by side. Because when a woman takes on a job it is assumed that eventually she will have to take paternity leave or miss days to tend to the children… I still do not understand why they don’t think the same way about men. Without a dad, children are missing 1/2 of their lessons in life.
Interesing to note that these are not complete statistics. Women with children are the highest and fastest rate of poverty, We have passed issues for child support enforcement without any real funding for enforcement. We give it to an underfunded DA office that gives inadequate service, private attorneys can provide better representation, but………if he is not paying the child support her has all the money in the world to not pay, and because you have been paying everything…….you have one arm tied behind your back. Furthermore, child support orders still do not recognize the hours of work that is takes to raise a child and if someone does not do their fair share, no compensation. Which women are you talking about in this study? Not the struggling ones that have the most problematic situations and incure costs for the judicial system and prisons……………..but I guess they need to be fed. Problem: We have never had more women in politics and yet more women not receiving child support? How is this possible?
Mothers and fathers are forced bythe economic system to spend more time with their co-workers than they do with their own families. There is something fundamentally wrong with this picture. With all the labor-saving and time-saving devices now in use in almost all workplaces, we should be able to work fewer hours without sacrificing our standard of living. Government can lead the way. Instead of imposing “furloughs” on state workers, the Great state of California could be leading the way towards shortening the work week. Make the 36 hour work week permanent, and stimulate the economy by hiring more workers. I am a government worker and a single parent. It would be challenging, but I could and would learn to live on less, if it meant having more free time.
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