Saturday, July 10, 2010

Newsweek - Women Will Rule the World

Women Will Rule the World claims Newsweek - well no, we won't, nor should that be our goal. Access, opportunity and shared power should be the goal, not this old,tired and frankly dumb model of 'ruling' one another. I am getting sick of the headlines of these types of articles that pit men against women, suggesting that when women rise men will fall. Yes it makes a catchy headline, but what good purpose does it serve?

This article is full of amazing statistics that illustrate this shift of economic force that is happening, but these stories need to be framed differently. We need to understand these changes that are happening and imagine how we can proactively embrace them to create the best possible outcomes for all. For example, take the issue of childcare. If women are increasingly becoming the primary breadwinners for a variety of reasons are the childcare options keeping pace? No. Though I am no expert on this issue my policy friends tell me that this is one of the biggest issues that needs addressing at all levels. Also women are more likely to be employed in jobs that are part-time or don't offer benefits, so what does this mean in terms of health care for families? What is being done to help men get retrained from old world jobs that are never going to come back, to new world ones? It is time to embrace the facts and think through the implications, again, for better outcomes for all.

Thank you Newsweek for some great facts, but can you stop with the damaging headlines!

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