A Woman's Nation
Like most American women, I wear many different hats - mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend. I am constantly inspired by the stories, ideas and courage of the women I meet and I am reminded every single day how women are architects of change.
For the first time in our nation's history, women now represent half of all workers and are becoming the primary breadwinners in more families than ever before. These two facts have far reaching consequences to government, business, faith communities, women and even men. Clearly, this country is now what I like to call "A Woman's Nation."
This seismic shift is changing the economic and cultural landscape of our country, and in order to learn more about this development, I am partnering with The Center for American Progress (CAP) and the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, a project that will report on the economic tipping pointing for women in America and the consequences of that shift across the institutions that matter most in American life. Together with them, I am thrilled to launch "A Woman's Nation," a national project to paint the modern portrait of the American woman. Additionally, TIME magazine will also be involved in research and reporting, as well as co-presenting discussions and roundtables around the country.
The last time a government project like this was organized was in 1961, when my uncle, President John F. Kennedy, appointed Eleanor Roosevelt to chair a commission to report on the status of women. The world has changed dramatically since my uncle launched his commission, and "A Woman's Nation" serves to update these findings to promote the new definition of who the American woman is today and what she expects and needs from our nation's economic, cultural and social institutions in order to thrive now and in the future.
"A Woman's Nation" will be a multi-year, action-oriented project, focused on capturing an accurate and up-to-date portrait of the American woman and developing next steps to remove barriers to her success. A journalist by trade, I look forward to taking "A Woman's Nation" on the road - We will host a series of roundtables with men and women on the front lines of this economic and cultural shift, and conduct frank and factual interviews with cultural icons and women leaders about their experiences and recommendations. In an effort to give people all over the country an opportunity to participate in this remarkable discussion, we will hold online town-halls to field and answer any questions about the project.
This on-the-ground reporting, combined with research data from a national poll, will result in a fresh and thorough initial report to be published in the fall of 2009. The report will be followed by a book, and we will then examine regulatory, legislative, business and cultural change that needs to take place to keep pace with the current needs of American women and families.
I am incredibly excited to begin working to understand how American women can best be supported in their ever-evolving roles, particularly as it relates to our growing economic influence in society. I look forward to sharing with you my stories and findings from this remarkable journey to uncover the modern American woman.
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"Men should be barred from public office for 100 years in every part of the world.... It would be a much kinder, gentler, more intelligently run world. The men have had millions of years where we've been running things. We've screwed it up hopelessly. Let's give it to the women--Ted Turner
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I think we would definitely have less wars.
You might like "Sex and War" by Malcolm Potts and Thomas Hayden. The book argues just that: If women were given strong political and decision-making roles, the world would be a more peaceful place.
I'll check it out.
" GIVEN " is the key word here. Nobody who is fit to lead is given anything. She / he has to ACHIEVE it. How is anybody going to submit to the leadership of somebody who was "GIVEN" the post? Women, you have to achieve greatness. It is an ACHIEVEMENT, no one can give it to you. Those who are GIVEN positions they themselves have not won in a fair competition always prove to be incompetent. .
GREAT IDEA!!! All black or white. Yes ALL women, even all the ones who are catty and insecure with eating disorders or who overeat or who come unglued at the drop of a hat and blame PMS or the stress of kids who they have to scream at in the supermarket (as if motherhood was FORCED on them against their will) and who say "You should just know if you really loved me, I shouldn't have to say." And before anyone makes the wrong assumption, I am a girl, I just think more logically like a guy and so do my calm, happy friends who don't play the ever-so-common helpless woman victim card. I'm for people, regardless of gender.
Nizny7 - so you're a "girl", well I am a WOMAN - a college-educated, single mom working in IT for 20 years, making 6 figures and very very logical. Not "like a guy" but just a logical PERSON, like many of my female colleagues that I have the pleasure to work with. I work with both men and women who are not logical, men and women who "become unglued". Stop your stereotypes. I see that all the time where I work too. Men who are agressive are described as go-getters, determined, etc, the same personality trait in women is just agressive or bitchy. Men are passionate and driven, women emotional. Its all crap. There are different kinds of people, PEOPLE. Not men versus women.
Suspicions confirmed: so women were lying all along when they said they wanted equality, when what they really want is revenge and to dominate, if one reads the posters here. So how exactly are they different from men? Women, we are learning, even Sunday School teaching women, rape and murder little girls. Women teachers rape young boys. Women leaders start wars just like men leaders ( see Thatcher QEI, etc.) According to the NY Times ( see menweb.org) women commit a rather high percentage of domestic violence. and on and on.. .yet they must be so much better than men. i mean they say they are, so it must be so, right?
i have already joined Hillary's women count.
I've had similar thoughts, Maria. But not on work. On heart, activism, writing. When I look around, the boldest and most passionate and original thinkers are mostly women today. I hate to generalize, but it seems to be mostly men who stick to old, dead ideas that are doing harm. Of course men do move culture forward in important ways, but I do stand behind my observation. My feeling is that the thinkers and soldiers (and I mean this not in a military way) who will shove us forward into an era that is worthy of how long we have been humans; an era of compassion, intelligence, and consideration for our surroundings—will be women. So I join you in this effort, albeit in my own way. The first step was this comment, and the next will be a post on the subject. Thank you.
Like always. Men make a mess and the women (and minorities) are called in to clean it up.
As long as they don't trespass on the hallowed CEO ground too much. We have to keep the really high paying, easy jobs for the spin-doctor guys in suits.
See Karen Armstrong's www.charterforcompassion.com
Broad strokes such as "men make a mess" demean and demoralize some of the staunchest allies you have in this movement - the men who get it.
When do we start to realize how important it is to have a parent with the kids? I don't care if it is me or my wife, but having 2 parents in the workforce is not helping America at all.
I love the fact that women are slowly reaching male wages, and starting to represent more companies in leadership positions. I hate the fact that all of the sudden (the last 30 years) it has become OK to drop kids off at daycare, then kiss them goodnight, and call yourself a family.
The subject (and the reality) of women in the workforce should go hand in hand with education on how important a womens role in the home and the family is to a successful community and nation. The distinction between who can fill this role is pointless, but the importance of the role should be understood.
My husband and I both work at jobs we really like, and drop our son at pre-school which he loves. Daycare and preschool are not a punishment. Our son has thrived and learned and made friends and he is super excited about attending Kindergarten in the fall. I do call us a family. What else would we be?
I do support you and other dads who want to be home with their children while they are younger. I especially support open minded husbands like yourself who respect that their wives have careers they enjoy and are okay with women working while men stay home. Go for it. May it bring you peace.
What I really want to understand is how it became OK to have both parents in the workforce just to have a decent home and proper education. It would be great if we could have a balance of family and work like most European countries have, which is why I think the role that women traditionally kept in the home must be championed as important.
Children like to please their parents. You'd be surprises how many actually prefer the company of mommy and daddy to being in daycare all day, not that it would make any difference if they voiced their opinion.
A man's view of the world, and the changes that have taken place. You attempt to sound supportive and impartial but your old fashioned views come through in your post.
I am a stay at home dad, so I really have no idea what you are talking about.
Women constituting 50% of the workforce is not an advance of civilization. For most women this is evidence of a decline in standard of living. Working women still have the obligations of child rearing and taking care of the household on top of a full time job. This is not an advance. Overwhelmingly the responsibilities are again falling on women at their expense and the expense of our children.
Excellent point!
Great point but in some cases it is better for the children because men are becoming more involve in their kids life other than being bill payer.
Maria, I hate to be cynical in my 49 yrs but I hope that you can find something that will stir the nation into change. The age discrimination against women my age is going to keep me unemployed longer and the gray in my hair isn't helping. I'm considering doing something I promised myself I would never do and that is color my hair so that I can look younger at first glance.
These are tough times for everyone and I hope you can awaken the spirit of men to realize we've been held back and held down for centuries and it's time it ends. Good luck!
I agree with LittleGirl. I'm now 54, spent more than a decade putting myself through college, then spent the next 25 years in an industry that's now dissolving before everyone's eyes. I haven't had health insurance for nine months. My unemployment benefits are about to expire. I can't even get an interview for an hourly position at a fraction of what I was making a year ago. The mismanaged 401(k) to which I contributed my entire professional life won't last me six months and I can't withdraw any of that without a sizable tax penalty. I am doing volunteer work, retraining myself at my own expense and networking with former business contacts like a GM salesman on too much Red Bull. Yet, because of my age and my current employment status, I fit no one's demographic. I am INVISIBLE. During those moments when I'm not mad as hell, I'm literally freaking out. And there are millions of other women of my generation in situations very similar to mine. So Ms. Shriver, I support what I think you're trying to accomplish, but if this really is "A Woman's Nation," I'd like to know how an intelligent woman who made good choices in life, always worked hard and never sought a handout, still got the shaft. More important, I'd like to know how I can turn this situation around so I feel like I'm contributing something of value again to my community and to my country.
You're right, because you're a woman you shouldn't have to contend with all of those man-like problems.
Doesn't the country belong to all of us?
Agreed! How to we frame this conversation to value everyone's contributions to the progress over the past few decades and help enlist both sexes in helping move things forward?
right on!
Here is a gender-uniting essay:
Who Am I? http://www.4starbiz.com/2020
whats this, I type a response , scroll up and poof my article is gone, it has to being a function of this webpage?
It's a woman's country as long as you are not a republican or conservative. From the comments here, it appears most of you think those who aren't liberal democrats are all extreme religious sect or some other type of religious "cult". It is so offensive to me, as a man, that a large portion of our society can be so dismissive and hateful of another large portion of our "melting pot" society.
When I was growing up it was non-whites, women (especially single), gays, and certain fringe (re wacko) religious sects who were considered "less important" than the main society. Funny how little things have changed in the last few decades, except now it is republicans and conservatives (very different groups by the way) replacing race and gays.
Shame on you bigots. For those with bigger minds, please help our society grow and hopefully someday realize WE ALL have a right to exist and to try to be happy and safe, not just those that are like YOU.
When I was young, I was both confused and appalled at how certain lawful segments of society were treated and/or looked upon. I've always hated bullies, that doesn't make me a conservative or a liberal or a Democrat or a Republican. It makes me, I hope, an American.
"From the comments here, it appears most of you think those who aren't liberal democrats are all extreme religious sect or some other type of religious "cult". "
It's dangerous to generalize and take the comments of a few posters who have angered you and attribute them to a larger group. That is how hate gets proportionately out of control. Direct your anger to the exact people that are annoying you and not to this group as a whole.
Yes, I agree, but forgot to edit that out before I submitted. Appologies to any (rightfully) offended. I read only a few negative comments and generalized. In general I agree with most of the comments posted for this article, and am a great fan of Maria.
Maria, as you move forward, don't forget our sons. As we support A Woman's Nation, it is important that our sons not get lost while we focus on our daughters. How do we keep young boys connected to and excited about a future that is truly equal opportunity?
You're asking that question here?
Maria, in your work, please keep in mind some of the major barriers facing immigrant and minority women. Health care services and job training are important to the advancement of these groups. Additionally, cultural and linguistic incompetency in health care, training and other settings prevent women from getting the services they need to succeed. There are laws requiring competency in many settings but these mandates often lack funding. Congratulations on this inspiring project dedicated to advancing women. I look forward to the results.
I think we can all agree, by the vivacious responses on this blog, that there is desire to know, to embrace knowledge and come together. It is delightful to hear what everyone has to say. Blogging then serves as a channel to exchange information that can be used to advance. I hope to see more blogs dedicated to women in the nation. Thanx
I'm all for hailing the warranted advancements made by women over the last 50 years, but I'm not convinced that it now constitutes heralding their control of the universe.
Men have to be better, more involved fathers than our fathers were; we are to be more sensitive, more caring, more nurturing than other men at any other time in history; we are still expected to be protective and strong, but also emotionally transparent and embrace our feminine side; we are expected to champion the expanding roles of women, even as those roles restrict and belittle our own roles in society.
I'm sure there will be those who consider my thoughts archaic and misogynistic, so let me be clear; I'm in favor of a great deal of these epochal changes in attitude and opportunity towards and for women, but the impact on the attitude towards men is only now being seen, as our collective identity is being reshaped FOR us, and not by us.
Women still want men to be men, but they want them to be the kind of man that THEY can define, while retaining the right to be the kind of women that only women can define.
There's no question that men have to evolve as women and society have done, but are we not allowed to define ourselves, or must we be forced to accept our new roles from the edicts of Oprah and Maria Shriver?
.Where's the equality in that?
Sorry I have to disagree with you, and yes your views are somewhat archaic and just a little "picked on". My 73-year old father was the one who got my sister and I up for school and made breakfast not my mom, He was way ahead of his time. My husband and I split most of the chores around the house, althought there are still some that are assumed to be his-mowing the lawn, and some that are mine-weeding. My son was brought up doing the same exact chores as his three sisters. These men were all raised by strong women, and expect that women have the same rights and responsibilities as they do. I don't see any of them, including my dad, struggling with his role.
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