Making Momma Happy -- What Obama Can Do for Women

President-elect Obama said last week that "when Momma's happy, everybody's happy." He was talking about Michelle settling into DC as first Lady, first Mom, and superstar. But let's hope he means it for all of America's "mommas" -- the women who elected him.

Let's face it - we've been trampled pretty badly by the Bush anti-woman political crusaders: the first federal abortion ban since Roe, $200 million a year for abstinence-only education, the return of gender-segregated classrooms, an explosion of sexual assaults in the military, cuts to Medicaid, and more.

And oh yeah, virtually losing our right to sue for employment discrimination, which the House fixed on Friday by passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. If the Senate follows, it could be the first bill Obama signs.

A great start. But just a start. Women are losing jobs fast in the recession, and many don't qualify for unemployment because of 1930s-era rules that don't cover part-time and low-wage work. Broadening eligibility would be a doable fix that would put money on the street in a hurry.

As for jobs in the stimulus package, the new Prez shouldn't just take care of the boys who will be repairing the roads and bridges. I know women can be trained for these "non-traditional" jobs, but that takes time. Let's use some of the money up-front to build a meaningful child-care system with jobs that pay decent wages. That would put an entire sector of female workers on the front lines of the recovery, and just incidentally help their sisters who are desperate for decent child care while they're working or looking for work.

Even though a (very) few moms and accidental grandmommas like Sarah Palin might object, that abstinence-only money has to go. Just think about how many mortgages $200 million could save, or how many jobs it could create if put in the right place. Another huge benefit would be stopping the rise in teenage pregnancy, up for the first time since 1991. The Bush administration is "surprised" by this, but has "no immediate explanation." Something tells me President Obama will be smart enough to connect the dots.

No one disputes that the new president will have his hands more than full in the Middle East on day one. Ending conflict will be front and center, but once more he should "remember the ladies." The U.N. has a rule that women be equal partners in peace negotiations and post-conflict rebuilding -- a rule often ignored or minimized, that too-often results in women being marginalized or outright oppressed after the shooting stops.

Women are really hopeful for the first time in eight years. Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood, sums it up this way in the latest issue of Ms. magazine:

"Barack Obama is a woman's man. Raised by a single, independent mother, married to a woman every bit his equal and father of two smart young daughters, its obvious. . . He unapologetically believes in our rights."

If Richards is right and the new President comes through for women, he could make a lot of mommas happy in the months to come.

Comments

[SPQR1052]

There are also days that when "daddy" isn't happy - no "paper " is made and thus nobody is hay! :-)
Anyway, I salute the women of the world and especially American and French and Italian and African women.(I am male)

As long as our country has good mothers our nations will produce great sons. (and daughters)

[LeeMaher]

Please take time to read the "Blueprint" at www.change.gov/women - this gives details on what women leaders throughout the country are asking this new administration.

[stevi]

Health care and Day care, what splendid ideas. Both female and male children and adults will benefit from these two things. Day care while job hunting or going to school, not just for those who have jobs. Vocational training for adults (Mothers and Fathers) who have lost much during this bush debacle would be good, as would ending torture as an option. This Momma does not like that her country treats people badly on any level.

[moonflowerjewelry]

personally, i think gender segregated classrooms are a good idea. i have boy children. as a woman, i agree with heyitstodd - boys are the ones discriminated against in school. female teachers - especially the ones without children of their own, or self styled feminists truly believe that girls are not devious, mean or manipulative so boys get punished more harshly and more often because they can be loud, smelly, dirty and rambunctious.
having said that from a pro-boy perspective: i lived in bay area in the years when one of the last women's colleges (mills college) finally went co-ed. not very many of the women students were behind that decision and there were plenty of sit-ins and protests. segregated education has it's place, and we should strive to allow everyone the freedom to choose instead of only pushing one ideological agenda.

[lilpeg]

I would add that there needs to be more encouragement for teen girls to stay in school and do well. If they are not going to college, they should be getting good vocational training for all the good paying "man jobs" out there in construction and in the services sector. College-bound young women should be encouraged to major in math and science and engineering so that they can be at the forefront of all those new design challenges that are needed to bring the economy back into manufacturing and out of this whole "services" era.
Mr. Obama, having daughters, will understand this well in the next few years. Having daughters makes every man a feminist and a "mama".

[HeyItsTodd]

Is it time yet to put more efforts into getting males to go to college? Look at the statistics and you will see a dramatic downturn in American males attending college. Does this qualify as an issue yet?

[hortonhearsawho2]

Helped elect him...

[gladernie]

I'm a liberal woman, and I agree with most of your ideas here, but please don't call me a "momma". I don't have children and I've never wanted any, and I don't do any indirect mothering of anybody else's kids. To categorize all American women as "mommas" or wanna-be mommas is just wrong. And along with some women's "quality, affordable daycare," I'd like some additional privileges, as well, and perhaps a tax break for NOT breeding. Also, if you must use the term in the future, please spell it "mama"---much more succinct, right?

[hortonhearsawho2]

Pro-You huh ?

[Kassandra]

You GO, girl! Tax breaks for NOT breeding should be mandatory now that humans are crushing the earth.

[Bethab]

RIGHT ON!!! Not all women are mothers...let's see some pandering coming in our direction too!!!

[truthskr]

Completely agreed. I'm a 34 yo woman with no children, and will never have children. While I completely support the idea of quality, affordable childcare as an undeniable societal good, I do also tire when it seems nearly all women's related issues seem to pertain to, as you say, breeding - issues of choice, access to healthcare (always with a heavy emphasis on reproductive healthcare), child raising, child care, and so on. While I strongly support any and all initiatives and legislation that supports our future generations and the women (and men) raising them, I believe that it's also time to quit referring to women as "mamas", thereby sending the message to women that reproduction is the be all end all. Advocating, nay, demanding, pay equity, access to affordable higher education, and equal representation in all areas of society, is what's required to progress all women - mothers or not.

[dessertsfirst]

Very well said!
I'm a momma and a grandma, and a retired RN w/ a BSN degree and nearly a 40 year career in the nursing profession. But I can't agree more w/ the above post, because you see, actually I was a single parent of 3 young, active children; sooooo I was a career RN first, so that I could be a momma and support my children (their deadbeat dad didn't feel that monetary support was his job); and while fighting to get said support, I worked 2 nursing jobs. Perhaps Pres elect Obama, who knows about and understands intelligent, broad minded, independent women, will manage to elevate the image of women before he leaves office.... right now he has a full plate compliments of Bush/Cheney smorgasbord.

[PlaceboStudman]

Despite what anyone might argue to the contrary, the blame here falls squarely on the Patriarchical nature of the Judeo-Christian tradition. It will not be until/unless this country takes the lead in secular rationalist thought that we will make any head way in the fight for justice of women, in this country, and around the world. While the ideas laid out by the author are indeed good ones, we must look at the root cause of the gangrenous infection of Organized Religion, and dig out its root, before we will make any true head way in permanent changes toward equality, equity, and justice for ALL people. Not just those who prescribe to the Kool-Aid propoganda of antiquated science fiction mythology known as Organized Religion

[Pyrum]

Yeah, Organized Religion is the root of all evil (heavy sarcasm).

[Kassandra]

"Yeah, Organized Religion is the root of all evil"........ you got it right the first time; why'd you have to mess it up?

[maxgen]

Not all evil. However slavery, lynching and genocide of native Americans were not opposed by most Christian religious organizations; instead churches often helped as these evils dominated our country for long periods. Many of the campaigns were led by upstanding church members who held respected positions in their churches and supported by the other members. Hitler and Mussolini weren't vigorously opposed by many churches. Of course, some religious folks did oppose these evils, sometimes bravely. (Stalin and Mao were evil pretty much by themselves, although Stalin is said to base his policies on the oppression he received as a boy under the Czar and the Orthodox church). And or examples I don't even have to go back to the evils of the inquisition, Galileo, the crusades and the domination of Europe by the church / nobility for a millennium or more.

And that's only part of the evil associated with the so-called Christion churches.

(NO sarcasm meant).

[truthskr]

Well, you'd be hard pressed when examining nearly any war, act of organized oppression, or genocide and not find some religion at least being used to excuse such behavior, being waved around as "God's will."

[redkim]

It's this type of pablum passing for feminism that drives me nuts. This approach is quite Euro-centric as it fails to comphrehend that violence against women often happens at much greater levels in countries where either Christianity has NOT flourished or where Islam has. And often those women have NO legal recourse. And, contrary to the posters opinion, it is NOT simply organized religion that is the culprit in these countries either; it is their culture and traditions.

[Gorsegrower]

The more ethnic, folksy expression is stated in the negative: If momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy.

[ckfan]

Hmmm. I'm Black and in my family we say it the way Barack said it.

[phinney]

I think it's more of a southern thing, I first heard that saying in Mississippi.

[NCOak]

it's mama, mom.

[PaRock]

Quality, affordable daycare would be a great place to start - followed closely by quality, affordable healthcare! Both would go a long way toward strengthening families and returning America to a place that we all can be proud of.
Rocky Macy
Goodyear, AZ

[steve-in-abq]

During the long campaign, the one thing that troubled me the most was that the candidates kept saying what they would do to help families. It is not the federal government's job to help families, or individuals for that matter. The federal government has many jobs. They are summarize in the preamble of the Constitution (that's the document that congress, the president and the supreme court are SUPPOSED to follow). Providing daycare, medical care, etc. - not in the Constitution. The federal government is not our parent, and we are not it's children.

[Pyrum]

How does abstinence only education hurt women? It seems to me teaching girls to have enough respect for themselves to not give it away unless the boys are serious about them would be a positive for women.

[Channel4NewsTeam]

Are you're saying boys have no respect for themselves?

[Pyrum]

I've never been a boy, so you tell me: do they?

[timothyi]

Because it doesn't work, period. A multitude of studies show that AO education results in greater levels of unwanted pregnancies and STD's. They have less vaginal intercourse but MORE anal and oral sex. On the other hand, teens that are taught the facts about conception, contraception, etc are better able to handle the inevitable slipups that occur when teens get together and the pheremones start flying. The have knowledge, knowledge is power. Withholding information from teens hurts them in the long run.

Sorry if that conflicts with your "giving it away" theory, but the days of disregarding (even discarding) scientific evidence in favor of scripture, gut feeling, or some amorphouse notion of "morality" are over. The adults are in charge starting 1/20. Obama is courageous enough to accept the facts and deal with them honestly, instead of cowering behind the pharisees.

[Pyrum]

No apology necessary. I'm not an evangelist, I just wanted another viewpoint.

[Hawise]

It hurts both men and women. It fails to teach control of sexuality, only temporary rejection of it. It leaves children on the brink of adulthood without the knowledge that would help them avoid the pitfalls but grants them truckloads of guilt when they fail to live up to expectations. It is harder on girls because abstinence-only supports the fiction that girls have to be responsible for saving not only themselves but the men/boys who try to tempt them. That is a lot of responsibility to place on the shoulders of pubescent women, especially when teaching them the skills and realities that would make it possible is forbidden knowledge.

[phinney]

You can teach boys and girls to have self-respect AND provide the facts about human nature. Withholding this information is like not teaching kids how to add.

[Pyrum]

That sounds good to me.

[greeniefromOH]

By not providing information about birth control and thereby sentencing the ones who DO decide to have sex to unwittingly suffer the consequences.

[Martha Burk - Huffpost Blogger]

Gender segregated classrooms are bad for both boys and girls. They too often reinforce gender stereotypes. Research has shown that when mixed classrooms get the same amount of resources (more teachers, better books, etc.) that are found in single gender schools, all the kids do better. As the mother of two sons, I would not have wanted them attending single gender schools or classes. We all have to get along and respect one another as adults, so teaching kids to do that early is the way to go.

Martha Burk

[elizaconnors]

I have two boys and I couldn't agree with you more.

[gotborked]

On unemployment, you say "Broadening eligibility would be a doable fix that would put money on the street in a hurry. " Where do you think that money comes from? It's not like the government has all this money on hand that they aren't spending. It comes from taxing others. You can argue for broadening unemployment for humanitarian reasons, but it's absurd to argue for it as a stimulus for the economy. Taking money from one person and giving it to another just alters who spends it, not how much of it there is.

[HeyItsTodd]

Yes, the Bush Administration assaulted human rights everywhere, including for women, but I'm very confused that you include the "return of gender-segregated classrooms" as an assault on females. As a male, my gender is painted as mean, brutish, and domineering; this includes children in classrooms, where we allegedly damage little girls' learning process. So, gender-segregated classrooms are meant to protect fragile females. Now we're bad people for both mixed-gender classrooms and gender-segregated classrooms. In all seriousness, I'm really, really confused by this issue in particular.

[gotborked]

I suppose she's afraid the bad teachers will end up in the girls' classes and the good teachers will end up in the boys'? ...but I'm not sure how she can make that argument with a straight face in this day.

[Kassandra]

In all actuality, it was in mixed gender classrooms where I learned to kick little boy butt!