tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7944947209529218478.post7879431971030896279..comments2024-03-16T07:29:46.047-04:00Comments on Busy Since Birth: More on "Lean In" - Questions of Age, Asking and AuthorityCheryl Pollock Stoberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08450367010014659852noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7944947209529218478.post-16770805987524870602013-06-20T22:52:25.052-04:002013-06-20T22:52:25.052-04:00I confess I haven't read the book... I suppose...I confess I haven't read the book... I suppose that makes it unfair of me to criticize, but I'm going to do it anyway. I know I can't read the book because when I start, I'm going to get so mad I'm going to throw it at something... Based on everything I've read/seen about it, the author completely ignores race and class privilege in her book. These are not something one can just ignore. The median family income in the US is $50,000/year for a family of FOUR. Sure in places where cost of living is high, it is a little higher. I think the CT state median income is around $62k for a family of four. I live in CT, with a family of 3, and we would have a serious problem trying to live on that annual income. And that is just the median. HALF of all families live on less than that! She also seems to be perpetuating the great capitalist myth that we live in a meritocracy. I can't take anyone seriously who really believes that. Hard work and talent are NOT all that matters.<br />Have you read Barbara Erhenreich's new book about the consequences of outsourcing our domestic lives? I can't remember the title, but it looks interesting.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16194216385312896549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7944947209529218478.post-54278751572374467362013-06-20T10:07:37.871-04:002013-06-20T10:07:37.871-04:00I'm responding to Cheryl's original post, ...I'm responding to Cheryl's original post, not the (thoughtful and interesting!) comments above. I discussed "Lean In" with a few younger friends from Junior League, currently in their first post-college jobs, and they were shocked that certain things were still being discussed as major issues. They articulated that obviously you have to negotiate your salary (and they all had - again, in their first post-college jobs) and were horrified that women didn't know to take a place front-and-center at the table. At first I was a little taken aback, but they're evidence of the great strides women have made (and they have appropriate respect for the work of women who came before them to make this possible). One of my other League friends, however, an accomplished attorney, pointed out that a lot of decisions are made "before anyone is even at the table" and those are discussions which do not always include women - the illusion of choice. Hal and Audshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14612375972312154552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7944947209529218478.post-67529060947080857942013-06-20T08:26:48.699-04:002013-06-20T08:26:48.699-04:00One of the big questions I have for the author is ...One of the big questions I have for the author is what will she do when the kids are older. <br /><br />1. You can't outsource everything - such as a family tree, family dinners, etc. You need to be present.<br /><br />2. As her kids age, and see her work 24/7, is this something that she wants for her own kids? Should everyone forgo leisure time, family time, volunteer opportunities and only work on work?<br /><br />3. What would happen if her own children choose to become stay at home parents? Will she be okay with that?<br /><br />4. How do you coach women who are in hourly jobs to grow and better themselves? How do women working at Target (struggling with health care costs, housing, etc)? She has led the "charmed" life, but how does that translate to people who don't "know" people or have a Harvard degree?<br /><br />Just curious to know her answers on these questions for the moment.<br /><br />Great post!sfweitzmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16536927219325832694noreply@blogger.com