Why can’t more families talk openly about the benefits of having hired help, especially when there’s a newborn in the household? Aren’t the days of the harried, overworked mom over?
Tag: Mental Health
The Mother Tax: Working Moms Are at the Breaking Point
For each child they have, mothers get a 5 to 10 percent pay cut on average. Meanwhile fathers get a 6 percent pay bump per child. As the primary caregiver in many households—33 percent of married working moms have identified themselves as their children’s sole care provider—many women have been forced to choose between their kids and their careers.
What will it take for employers to account for the heightened responsibilities of moms in the workplace?
Teachers Are Heading for the Door—And They’re Not Coming Back
Over 143,000 education sector workers quit their jobs in December alone. COVID-19 has not only caused anxiety and fears among teachers for their own health and that of their families; they are also facing increased responsibility. The “feminization” of the profession has allowed it to exist in the lower rungs of society for too long.
“I no longer have too much on my plate. The plate is broken and the shards are digging into my skin, but I can’t drop what I am carrying. If I drop it, I don’t think anyone else will pick it up.”
Happily Never After: False Homeownership Notions Are Increasing the Gender Wealth Gap
The “American Dream” notion that homeownership will provide an express route to happily-ever-after is fueling record home prices and exacerbating gender inequities. We need to wake up from this nightmare.
If current real estate trends continue, a woman’s place will no longer be in the home, and not because of feminist gains. Rather, she’ll be completely priced out.
Teenagers on State Boards of Education—Why Including the Voices of Young Women Is Essential
Eleni Livingston and Rana Banankhah, both 17 years old, are voting members of their states’ board of education. They help decide high school graduation requirements, determine teacher qualifications and develop state student assessments. They also bridge the gender gap in education leadership—since women make up only 31 percent of school district chiefs. Their experiences show the importance of student voices in policymaking.
“On the board it can be intimidating to go in, as a young woman, as a teenager, into an environment like that and jump right in and start advocating for my peers,” Livingston said.
“To be treated like an adult, even though I can’t even vote for [U.S.] president, was really eye-opening,” Banankhah said.
Disney, You’re Finally Seeing Moms Too
By rescripting gendered expectations, Disney’s Encanto and Pixar’s Turning Redoffer new freedom to women—from preteens and teenage girls, to mothers, grandmothers and extended family.
Dr. Tina Hernandez-Boussard: Data Science as a Path to Inclusivity and Diversity in Medicine
For Tina Hernandez-Boussard, solving the inequities within our healthcare system is only possible when we ensure that the people who collect, analyze and interpret data to make decisions, are as diverse as those who will be affected by those decisions.
Anastasia Higginbotham on Loss, Justice and Healing from Abuse in New Book ‘You Ruined It’
In Anastasia Higginbotham’s new book “You Ruined It,” she uses her unique art and writing style to discuss the hard topic of familial incest.
“Families do not have to be sites of violence, hierarchy, and domination. They can be the first place a child experiences justice, equity, and wholeness.”
I Work the Pandemic Frontlines—But the Cost of Childcare May Force Me Out
Amidst all the challenges those of us at the frontlines have faced, the most stressful part of my life comes from the failure that is America’s childcare system.
Congress has the opportunity to change this and help millions of families by passing President Biden’s economic plan. It will cap childcare costs at 7 percent of a middle class family’s income and provide universal preschool to all children aged 3 and 4. This would directly help my family afford childcare, and indirectly help all of my patients.
Ending the Public Health Emergency Could Prove Disastrous for New Moms on Medicaid
Last week, the Senate narrowly passed a bill that would end the national emergency declaration for the pandemic after two years. Next month, the nationwide public health emergency is set to end as well. While the steadily falling case numbers are encouraging, for many pregnant people and new moms who qualify for Medicaid, the crisis is far from over, and the end of pandemic-era flexibilities could mean disaster.