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.

Comments

[mergina]

OH, now you are going to give the Mad Tea Partiers something else to protest about. In Republican land, women are supposed to be submissive, pregnant, happy to SERVE THEIR MEN, and happy to be on a lower rung of equality. Republicans are Taliban with ties, more subtle in their control over women, but it is there nonetheless.

[Adam McBrayer]

Please don't be small minded. While some republicans may want to marry a stay at home wife, none would mandate it. At the same time, liberals do not require a wife to eschew being a stay at home mother for admittance to their political club.

Sadly, whether one works or stays at home is hardly a choice due to today's financial necessities. As we move forward thinking of what it is that women have gained, we ought to be mindful of what they have lost in determining how they ought to move forward.

Your reference to the taliban in unfortunate at best.

[Thordeer]

The seismic shift in family and labor force responsibilities is a mixed blessing--for women as well as men. Young men do not see where they're going, they are losing purpose and responsibility, are dropping out of school and college at alarming rates. They are also dropping out of the labor force. Women's roles and responsibilities keep expanding while men's decline. And these trend are most pronounced for the poor and people of color.

Women have to a great extent--although clearly not completely--won the battle of respect and hiring in the workplace. They are facing now a different difficulty of deadbeat men, uneducated and with no interest in work and supporting a family.

[GEM-592]

They are facing now a different difficulty of deadbeat men, uneducated and with no interest in work and supporting a family.

I don't think feminism is going to solve this problem, even when you phrase it as only a problem to the extent that it effects women. Is there anything that isn't a women's rights issue?

[muscleboundH]

I agree 100% with SHAWN BLACKWELL on this. WHY OH WHY would women want to walk in the footsteps of MEN when they could and SHOULD create their own path. The world has been run by men for 1000s of years and look where we are! It's time for a change. I for one do not think it should be a man's world or a woman's world, but a world of RESPECTFUL HUMAN BEINGS. Easiest way to get there? Put an end to all patriarchal religions. The longer religious institutions meddle in civil rights and politics, the longer women will be the ones being p*ssed on. Christianity, Islam, etc dictate that women are cattle at the very foundations of their belief system. If women want to see change: DUMP THE DOGMA THAT ENSLAVES YOU! SAY NO TO RELIGIOUS non-sense and YES TO LOGIC, RATIONALE, CRITICAL THOUGHT and HUMAN EQUALITY. :O)

[Lombard1006]

Odds are that if a woman takes on any traditionally male role or a position that was previously held by a man, she wrestles with both the good and bad of men's footsteps while balancing it with her own path. I do it everyday while reporting to men, being married to a man and mothering a future man.

Agree with you completely that we should be respectful of each other and may I add respectful of ourselves.

[indy100]

Amen to that!!!

[LordMoon]

Yes it's great, but he's a much more realistic and practical project.

Why not spearhead a reform movement for family court? Why not make shared parenting, and joint custody the law of the land. Why not end the endless custody disputes, and damage to children?

Why not not put an end to the excessive property orders in divorce, and end marriage as a vehicle for gold digging?

Why not end the ecomomic slavery of men, and cap child support orders to reflect the actual amount that it costs to care for a child. Why don't we stop rewarding people for divorce, why not reward them for staying married instead?

If we don't marriage and family will disapear, except for fundamentalists, who will never support equality for women.

[dm10003]

you're making the same mistake i'm sure you think men make about claiming ownership of something they share.

[Dayahka]

No, I don't think you got it right. Women only hold up half of the sky, men the other half. This is not a woman's nation or a man's nation--it's people's nation.

[tnunnster]

Hear, hear!

[Kari Henley - Huffpost Blogger]

HI Maria!
This is such a thrilling project. Not simply because it is to provide women with a comprehensive national report, but also because of the support and collaboration in it's execution.

Bravo and please let us know how we can help!
Kari Henley

[Shawn Blackwell]

I am the son of a single mom. I am respectful of women and love their assets and great contributions to our lives everyday. My question is really simple. What do women want? Why such a rush to have what men have had by way of power? That is what this is all about. Power. I see women represented in every facet of public and private sectors, government, law enforcement, college, health, etc.. I don't know the statistics, but my first-hand eyewitness account is an observance that women are already a tremendous force in our world. What do you want? Why do you measure yourselves against men? A gender cannot define itself by becoming the other....w­hy on Earth would my sisters want to be what men have been? Where exactly are you going with this? If every achievement must be measured against men and " beat them at their game"....y­ou really aren't creating anything spiritually from womanhood. All you are doing is a sillhoute interpretation of a mans footprint, however bloody that print is. Again...wh­at do you want?

[AbbieXHoffman]

Interesting commentary. I think women want to be free to reach their potential.­..whatever that may be.

You are right to suggest that wo men shouldn't necessarily define itself by becoming the other. I think we've moved past that rhetoric of the 70s.

Having said that, I think that there are many things that are currently in our society that prevent women from achieving their potential. There are definatly double standards. I think what women in these forums should perhaps consider acknowledging the double standards instead of just fighting them (sometime you do have to fight 'em though) and figure out how to use them to their advantage to achieve their goals.

For example, if there is sexism in the workplace (which I face everyday) perhaps women can teach other women how to negotiate the sexism an pivot it in real time. Perhaps the sharing of those kinds of ideas, instead of just lurching toward litigation would really help make the offenders reflect on their actions instead of worrying about being sued, etc. turning a sexist comment (from a man or woman) around in real time with grace goes a long way. It's taken me many years to perfect it and I even would like more ideas on how to do it.

Just one thought on one very myopic portion of this complex issue.

[yogigirl]

Maria, (if I may) I want to thank you for all your support of Women and our empowerment. I feel that this is probably the (in a root sense) the most relevent issue confronting our world outside of Global Warming. So thank you again for using your public voice for those who aren't ofen heard.

Shawn- I feel you have a very legitimate question is asking women what they want. Sometimes I wonder that question myself and I am a 56 yr old dyed in the wool hippie/liberal. Unlike myself my daughter is a 28 yr old pretty self-accualized person. I can't even pretend to know but I can tell you that women and femmine (SP?) conciousnes will continue to gain power in that that is simply the vibration of the 2000 millinium -Also there to pretty common bits of underling female conciousnes
one- they don't like there son's (and daughters and children and spouses) killed so they fundamentlally reson if I send my son's to kill you, you may send you son's to kill me (and mine).
Two-and I think honestly this happens to women pretty universally after they become mothers, and that is this quirky thing that they really think all children should be feed, and a modicum of health care, and a least some if possible education and growth and that in order of societies to survive and thrive they must have a certain level of basic human rights and justice.

[AbbieXHoffman]

I would also like women to be free to be ambitious and competitive in order to achieve their potential without being vilified for it by men AND other women. We have a long way to go on that one....

[dessertsfirst]

It isn't necessarily power that women want, not for the sake of power alone. What women are owed is respect, recognition for their contribution to society and their accomplishments in the many fields in which they function most capably. These aspects may be realized by being awarded the same salary as men, for doing the same job, first of all. Secondly, they should be given titles commensurate with the jobs they actually do. (What CEO would be worth his salt w/o the yeoman's job done by his "secretary". Her title really should be his associate, or something meaningful, to recognize the value she provides. We women do not wish to fill any man's shoes. We will leave our own footprint, thank you, and we will cast our own shadow. Why can't you recognize that we are an equal, and treat us as such?

[TopsyTurvey]

Passing the ERA would be a noble goal. The US is way behind the curve in this aspect.

[TRYKER]

"Nation Women" would be less possessive and controversial.

[AbbieXHoffman]

I LOVE this woman. Thank you Maria. I hope your forum includes discussions on how women can work WITH each other better instead of compete in the workplace or social world. Also, I would be interested to hear on women's use of social networking for work, leads and idea sharing. I could be wrong but I see many more women than men using Facebook etc. for communicating. Since women tend to be a bit more effective in communication (I know that's a huge generalization and many men excel at it too) I would like to see what effect of women's use of social networking has on their career and personal goals.

[Ginger Ale]

AbbieXHoffman wrote:

"I would like to see what effect of women's use of social networking has on their career and personal goals."

That is why of my academic research interests and there are actually some studies done (not that many unfortunately), however I think most of these study focus on social networking and interpersonal communication. There are however, some essays that will be presented at the National Communication Association in November that deal with women in academia, and social networking effects.

[AbbieXHoffman]

Thanks--I'll try to find the essays after they are presented.

[AbbieXHoffman]

Also while this is from 2007, it says that 2/3 of Facebook members are women.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/21/facebook-is-almost-23-women-and-other-stats/

I use it socially but have also used it many times for business. I wonder if the trend continues that more women use FB and if more use it successfully for business than men, if that will put women ahead of men in some areas (not that it is my objective to have women out perform men, but but women need a little extra umph, no?)

[cloudminder]

woman does not necessarily mean good or virtuous-- as we have seen with so many recent cases of crimes against children perpetrated by mothers like in Tracy,Ca and in Florida.

and women in management -- well, we only need to look at University of California for Senior Administrators who are female and just as corrupt as AIG...

[AbbieXHoffman]

and your point is what?? That there are bad women too? Dugh. What does making that obvious statement bring to the table?

[cloudminder]

it brings to the table that:

1) attempting to define this nation as gender specific, or run by a specific gender is not necessarily a good thing

2) that there are women who do not want to this country to be a woman's nation- but rather a nation comprised of good people who are engaged citizens- regardless of gender

--you AbbieXHoffman read like you are seething , hopeful your engagement with this topic will make you a bit less of a hater

[denisew]

Men, listen up, all major religions were started by men, placing men in a dominant role, women in a submissive one.
Watch a baseball game, millions watching men play.
Watch a football game, millions again watching and cheering for men.
And then there is basketball.
Women have done the cheerleading all along, its time for men to cheer women on.
Because you won't and don't, we will do it without you.

[GEM-592]

OK, and you can build your own house, dig your own ditch, and fertilize yourself in the lab too.

[rejoyce5]

I hope in your report you also include stay at home Moms.

[LaurieAnn]

Me too. And I propose something radical; we should be able to earn social security credits while we are at home raising children; at least be able to voluntarily pay in to the system.

[rektruax]

Interesting proposal..­.

[JSaeger]

Remember the photo op of the recent meeting amongst the group of twenty (G-20) finance ministers and central bank governors in the news? How many women were included in this esteemed group? Two maybe? We could go down a very long list of consequences throughout history.. But so much is at stake here. It is time for women to reclaim and value their identities and rightful place in the world - not to spite the male gender but in partnership with one another. Indeed, an important aspect of women reclaiming their identities is to help educate men and women alike on the values of all of our contributions to society and community. If we learn anything at this point in human history - Economics is no longer a discipline in which family or community values can be ignored. It seems to me that Ms. Shriver's timely promotion of a 'Woman's Nation' is about encouraging ways in which we, men and women together, can facilitate a healthier, more viable economic infrastructure on which to build for now and in the future.

[steinem68]

It will only be a "women's nation" when we have the same rights and health care as Europeans, Canadians, and all developed countries, worldwide. It is despicable we still have no rights over our own bodies, begging for "Plan B"...and hoping the pharmaicist or doctor will oblige. This is so typical of Taliban behaviours from the right wing idiots, it keeps a nation down. It sucks the mind and spirit from strong Americans who have read and have been educated, unlike all those disturbed misfits of the Palin -Bush regimes...­.and who also control so many pharmaceuticals.
It's nice to be optimistic but let us reinforce self-education and self-morals as opposed to hypocritical junk like racism, sexism, and against religions unheard of in Western civilizations. We make ourselves not only our own worst enemies, we look terrible across the Pond.