Feminism and Femininity

Not terribly long ago, there was an internet hype about this article by Anne-Marie Slaughter of Princeton University.  I think I promised to blog about it.  The article is titled "Why Women Still Can't Have It All."  I took a while to get around to reading it, assuming it was just another feminist rant that might be true but missed the point and offered no realistic solutions.

Instead, Slaughter offers something new to the debate surround the work-family conflict.  She legitimizes women who feel this conflict deeply.  It is very rare to find an academic woman who states, "Women can't have it all."

Like the young women Slaughter brings up in her article, I find great relief in a woman of her position admitting it.  I am currently not balancing work and family, but I spend perhaps too much mental energy figuring out how I might be able to achieve that balance.

Not only does Slaughter admit the problem, but she sees it manifesting differently in men and women --and admits that this is okay.  Women not only seem to feel the separation from their families due to work differently than men do, but they also react differently.  Rather than suggesting that the two genders try to equalize their feelings, she suggests ways to keep women in the working world.

I don't necessarily agree with all the solutions Slaughter offers (longer school days would mean more institutional parenting and less parent parenting), but I am glad to see this piece entering the academic conversation.  I keep searching the Christian side of things to find the joining point between feminism and femininity, but maybe I should be scouring social sciences as well.