Review: The Feminine Mistake
Oct. 29th, 2007 09:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebI just finished reading Leslie Bennetts' The Feminine Mistake: Are We Giving Up Too Much? It's about how women who are thinking of staying home with the kids should be sure to take into account the financial ramifications of that decision - it's hard to get back into the workforce after you've been out for a while.
I picked it up because I thought it might have some interesting tips on getting back into the workforce. Wrong.
I did learn a few things, though. One survey showed that only 74% of off-ramped women who want to go back to work do so, and among those, only 40% return to full-time professional jobs. (p. 78)
The author argues that although it is difficult to work and raise children at the same time, it's very rewarding, and it gets easier as time goes by.
She also talks about the problems of being economically dependent. If something happens to your spouse, such as death or divorce or turning into a jerk, you are in trouble.
Another study showed that employed moms have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, lower weights and less depression than stay-at-home moms. (p. 195) That definitely surprises me.
She concludes by saying that the reality of women jumping out of the workforce whenever things get the least bit hard is going to set back the gains made in women's rights. And instead, we should all be fighting for changing the workplace to make working and parenting less incompatible for everyone. Men aren't doing it because when things get rough for them, they can ask their wives to stay home.
I don't like her ideas, mostly making the government let people take leave more often and making someone subsidize child care.
One could say that just like stay-at-home moms, I have let down the feminists of the 'sixties by not making use of my full potential, by instead taking the easy route of a nice, cushy state job instead of powering my way into a job that can make a real difference. This could be the kind of book that changes my life. Sadly, I doubt it.
This author is too biased for my tastes but makes good points. I recommend it to people who are thinking of sitting out of the job force for a while. If you're a man thinking of sitting out of the job force, this will be harder to read but still valuable.
One more thing, she mentioned an article I really like the title of: Nora "Ephron's "Twenty-Five Things People Have a Shocking Capacity to be Surprised By Over and Over Again."
Before I read it, here are some things I thought of that might fit in that category.
* Things break.
* Traffic can be bad. People can cut you off!
* Morning comes early.
* Everybody dies.
* Things wear out.
* Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches taste good.
Okay, maybe those are just me.
I picked it up because I thought it might have some interesting tips on getting back into the workforce. Wrong.
I did learn a few things, though. One survey showed that only 74% of off-ramped women who want to go back to work do so, and among those, only 40% return to full-time professional jobs. (p. 78)
The author argues that although it is difficult to work and raise children at the same time, it's very rewarding, and it gets easier as time goes by.
She also talks about the problems of being economically dependent. If something happens to your spouse, such as death or divorce or turning into a jerk, you are in trouble.
Another study showed that employed moms have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, lower weights and less depression than stay-at-home moms. (p. 195) That definitely surprises me.
She concludes by saying that the reality of women jumping out of the workforce whenever things get the least bit hard is going to set back the gains made in women's rights. And instead, we should all be fighting for changing the workplace to make working and parenting less incompatible for everyone. Men aren't doing it because when things get rough for them, they can ask their wives to stay home.
I don't like her ideas, mostly making the government let people take leave more often and making someone subsidize child care.
One could say that just like stay-at-home moms, I have let down the feminists of the 'sixties by not making use of my full potential, by instead taking the easy route of a nice, cushy state job instead of powering my way into a job that can make a real difference. This could be the kind of book that changes my life. Sadly, I doubt it.
This author is too biased for my tastes but makes good points. I recommend it to people who are thinking of sitting out of the job force for a while. If you're a man thinking of sitting out of the job force, this will be harder to read but still valuable.
One more thing, she mentioned an article I really like the title of: Nora "Ephron's "Twenty-Five Things People Have a Shocking Capacity to be Surprised By Over and Over Again."
Before I read it, here are some things I thought of that might fit in that category.
* Things break.
* Traffic can be bad. People can cut you off!
* Morning comes early.
* Everybody dies.
* Things wear out.
* Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches taste good.
Okay, maybe those are just me.
Best book for returning to the workforce
on 2007-10-31 01:02 pm (UTC)