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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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I would like to know where you got your data when you claim that "women now represent half of all workers" because women's studies is my academic concentration and the last time I read any article about women's advancement in the workplace the number DID NOT suggest what you claim to be the fact. Have you ever read the book by Virginia Valin: Why so Slow? Also have you looked at the ration male- female in the academic world? Also what kind of positions do these women hold in the workplace? It has been reported by previous and ongoing academic research that women in the workplace hold lower positions to men, and those women holding higher positions are rare (Valian, 1999).
Now, I totally applaud you for being involved in any type of organization that promotes women' s empowerment, but let's never forget that we have a long way to go and that there is nothing to cheer up about until fully EQUALITY is achieved in any fields which is through the implementation of a change in cultural patriarchal values embedded in our society:)
Is that really your name?
Kinda hot...
I agree with Ginger. Where are all these women who are so-called breadwinners? I honestly don't come across many in companies. The only ones I see who are at pay equity with males are female doctors and female lawyers. Pretty much every other woman I know works in a position that defers to a male.
I like the term “Women Nation”. To me it means a nation that respect w woman, supports her goals, and gives her the opportunity to do and be whomever she wants. I grew up in a country where girls as young as age 14 dropped out of school to marry. None of those girls had the opportunity to choose whether to be a homemaker, or work outside the home or do both. They were essential told as a girl your job is to be a homemaker, because that the only thing women can do.
Women make the decision to do whatever in life that suits them and we should all respect their choices. Therefore, in honor of women around the world who do not have this luxury called “choice”, I embrace Women Nation and I salute the opportunity it gives women.
"The Altruistic Species" by Andrew Michael Flescher and Daniel L. Worthen
Scientific, Philosophical, and Religious Perspectives of Human Benevolenc
I would love to support your run for CA Governor, Ms. Shriver!
I perfer to think it's everyone's nation.
Agreed!
While you're at it, Ms. Shriver, see if you can do something about history texts, which basically describe men's wars and nothing else. I used to wonder, when I was a kid, why I loved to read but hated reading history texts; I finally realized that I was bored and disgusted by the violence of some (certainly not all) men, described in history texts as a never-ending parade of wars. Without novels written about the lives of women, I would have learned very little about the real life of past times.
Yay Women! We love you :)
-- the Men
Ditto!
unfortunately women are such targets, look at what happened to 2 powerful political women.. Geraldine Ferraro and Sarah Palin in this last election
Palin was targeted due to her ignorance and incompetence, not her sex.
I didn't support Palin but if she were a man her wardrobe NEVER would have been targeted and no one would have tested a man's knowledge as much as they did her. For example, when BO considered Tim Kane, a govener with no more experience than Palin, no one questioned his credentials like they did Palin. Perhaps they should have.
And face it, no woman of any color could have risen like BO did. I am glad BO did and adore him but there is without a doubt a double standard. I won't even go into the ridiculous hate thrown and HRC for her fierce competitive tactics--no man would have been THAT vilified for trying to win. People may not have liked it either if a man competed like she did, but it would have been chalked up as "fire in the belly" not the absolute HATE that HRC got. No man would have been vilified like she was. Need proof? Just look at every single other man that has been a major contender in a presidential election--JFK said and did many more fiecley critical comments about his opponent and he didn't get the hate HRC did. There is a double standard, right or wrong.
Palin is the opposite example. She was in fact given the opportunity because of being a woman, not despite it.
perish the thought ... haven't you heard that never happens? You better rewind your PC watch.
2 powerful political women.. Geraldine Ferraro and Sarah Palin..."
They weren't targets, they dissolved into their own foul soup all on their own, because they weren't strong political powers, they were imposters.
The flogging of Ferraro was used as a tool by the BO campaign to dilute the the old feminist camp's energy that was supporting HRCs campaign. They knew they needed the female vote and they struck down most of the feminist energy with that one casualty. I don't begrudge the BO campaign for a smart tactic, I begrudge the women who fell for that particular tactic. Having said that, I voted for BO and am proud he is my POTUS, but let's be honest about what happened or at least have the courage to look at it for what it was.
All she said was the truth... that no woman of any color with BOs credentials and abilities could have risen to the level BO did so fast. It was true and if that feminist energy caught on, BO would have been toast.
Has anyone ever done a study regarding whether, by doubling the number of people competing for breadwinner-salary positions (i.e., treating women as equally viable candidates - as well they should), an increase occurs in the number of households where neither spouse holds a breadwinner-salary position? I would like to see the negative economic side effects of what is generally a step in the right direction addressed.
There is this unwritten universal law that says all things balance out. Here we have women moving out into the world and taking charge as never before. Meanwhile, in the middle East, the Taliban, which is growing by leaps and bounds, is stuffing women back out of sight in every way possible.
Are you saying that as women move forward, there will be forces to hold us back, so we should just stop trying to win this zero-sum game?
More women than men graduate from college, and on a personal level, I know far more single women who own their own homes and have healthy retirement accounts than men. I think Ms. Shriver is about 40 years late in forming this committee. I'm a modern American woman who doesn't need anyone's support, and nor do any of my friends. We can do anything we want in the world, and it's up to us what we make of ourselves.
This is great as long as you don't start making babies on your own. Giving a foster child a second chance is great but children need all the love and stability they can get.
Then you must not live in the South, or, you're a very young woman who hasn't seen much of the world, Chuck.
If not, I would be interested to learn where you live that's so progressive, and what your field is, if you don't mind revealing that.
I think her name is Chuckle At Libs, not Chuck. Chuck's a boy's name.
I think chuckle's looking at it through rosy-eyed glasses. A lot of discrimination I faced happened to me when I was younger, and as I've gotten older, people are less likely to mess with me since I'm a lot savvier. But that doesn't mean that if a man wants to keep me out of a top position or role somewhere that he won't do his best to keep me down by virtue of gender alone. Even though a lot of women are financially independent, we still don't have the stratospheric financial success as a group as our male counterparts. So while I like chuckle's can-do attitude, we as women still have a long way to go.
What's with the knock against the South? My sister, at 54, has a Masters Degree in International Finance, has owned her own home for years and is a V-P at a major corporation. She lives in Atlanta, as do many successful women just like her! Where there's a will, there's a way! Never use where you live as an excuse for not excelling as a woman. Look where that little gal named Oprah Winfrey came from and where she is today!
Good for you. Unfortunately, not everyone has your fabulous experience or perspective.
And yet men who don't even graduate from high school get better positions than women of color who have degrees! College is not the be-all and end-all. Yeah, women are going to college more than men, doing better at it, and graduating more, but where is it getting us?
Thank you Maria for your article. As the Director for Women's Business Development in Illinois, I can tell you that women who's dreams of owning their own business are often put on hold due to family crisis and health issues. Most recently lines of credit for small business have dried up and grants are few and far between, however the upside of this economy is that women have always leaned on each other in tough times. I encourage would- be- women entrepeneurs to keep on keeping on and don't stop dreaming of owning your business and to successful business owners to mentor those who wish to walk in their shoes.
Look forward to your reporting.
Lee Maher Salzman
Illinois
Ms. Shriver---
Have you seen the interview with Aaron Russo in which he describes conversations he had with Nicholas Rockefeller? One of them concerned the Women's Liberation Movement. According to Mr. Russo, Mr. Rockefeller asserted that the Rockefeller Foundation aided the movement for a couple of reasons--because it employed women in the workforce, thus increasing the amount of taxable income, and because working women helped destroy the nuclear family, removing both parents from the household during the children's formative years, so that the children would be raised and indoctrinated not by their parents, but by the state through the school system. Any comments?
Good question.
People don't seem to understand the negative consequences of women who are spending time out of the home working, thus destroying the fabric of the American family. Although there are certainly positive aspects of women in the workforce, no one really talks about how it affects marriages, children, the family, etc.
I am former working woman myself, & I now stay at home and am an official "homemaker". I could not imagine a more important and fulfilling role. Until we start seeing stay at home mom's as valuable and worthwhile, the American family is going to continue to become more and more confused and fragmented.
The women's movement has given us wonderful opportunities & without it..we would never see things like a woman running for President, etc. But we also have to consider what it has damaged..i
Some people work because the enjoy doing it, men are just going to have to deal with that. If the don't want to feel emansculated I can help them with that, they should have the family spend only the money the man earns and the woman can keep hers in a fun account.
Hello, 1950? One of yours is on the line.
Every married man in my circle of friends has a working wife. Not a single one of those men would ever describe himself as feeling emasculated. In fact, they are all fabulous men with strong women for wives -- and they are themselves strong enough to handle that just fine.
Perhaps what you really intend to say is that our society and infrastructure need to adjust to the fact that in most households, both parents work and stop assuming that it's the woman whose job matters least and that she'll make whatever accommodations are necessary. Men have as much ability and responsibility for rearing children as women do -- and they're figuring that out, while our society very slowly and creakily makes the adjustment.
We'll get there.
If strong, independent women make men feel emasculated, then it sounds like it's the men's problem.
Do they really need someone to be "less than" them so they can feel good about themselves?
As a strong and independent woman I have no use for insecure men.
I think that if they want children should be raised only by their parents then they should insist on both parents staying home during the formative years not just the mother. They are also assuming that all women can teach.
I have no idea who Nicholas Rockefeller is, except that he appears to be a lawyer out of Oregon. He is not related in any way to the Rockefeller Family, and has no association with the Rockefeller Foundation. This guy is a fraud.
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