Unbending Gender: Why Family and Work Conflict and What to Do About It
$15.24
Great book - My partner of more than half a decade and I, want to have children, but he is also facing the same scheduling problems. I picked a company that supports work from home and 1 day off a week - but great possibility that I will not get promoted the same rate as my male colleagues. While his company only gives 1 week paternity leave (using vacation hours), which is of no real help at all. That is why we are waiting 15-20 years (we will be about 40-45) to adopt a couple of kids. We will be one of those old yuppie couples with Asian babies.My parents were also over achievers at work, they hired a nanny for 13 years. For us career oriented people, our choices are very limited, but it is up to us to convince the corporate world for change. I am glad that some companies have family friendly benefits (still a long way to go) - while during my grandmother and mother s time they had no options at all.
Impeccable research, very readable - This is one of a handful of books that I wish I had written. It tackles the difficult subject of the work/family conflict with impeccable research and persuasive arguments for reform. It s not strident or hyperbolic, just great scholarship and great writing. You don t have to be a lawyer or law professor to read and enjoy it, it would give great support to any parent struggling to find time enough to work and raise a child. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the work/family balance movement, anyone who still calls themselves a feminist (I do), and all working parents.
Must Reading for Men, Also - Now more than ever before, fathers and husbands (as well as uncles, brothers, and sons) need to understand how and why so many women experience so much stress when struggling to fulfill all manner of traditional gender-specific obligations in combination with other obligations related to the workplace. This same understanding is imperative for men with whom these women associate in their workplace. I m not saying women s obligations are better or worse than those men have. But many of them are significantly different. True, assignment of marital and parental obligtions often has less to do with gender than with practicality. Of necessity, some Baby Boomers and many Generation Xers have re-defined concepts such as partnering and division of labor. The process of re-definition or refinement will accelerate with Generation Yers. One of Williams key points is that at work and in the home, indeed everywhere, men and women must have the courage and (yes) the patience to collaborate and accommodate in ways and to an extent which spouses and parents never have before. Those unable to bend with appropriate adjustment and (yes) with good will could well break. Williams identifies various major problems and their causes, then suggests how those problems could be avoided or solved. You may not agree with all of her opinions (fair enough) but I think you will agree that she addresses important issues with care and concern. So must each of us.
Critical Information for Family Therapists - As a family therapist with a special interest in the area of work and family, I have read a number of books on this issue. Unbending Gender is a tremendous contribution to the field and one of my favorites. It was highly recommended to me by a marriage and family therapist and university professor, and I am passing on the recommendation to many of my colleagues. Williams book has important implications for family therapy, as many male and female clients struggle with how to combine market work and family work. It will change the way you educate, normalize, and approach this issue with clients.
Visions of a New Paradigm - This is the book that I had been waiting for! As a lawyer, feminist, wife and mother I have struggled with conflicts between work and career and found myself forced to make choices that later seemed unjust. After examining family law and employment discrimination law in the course of rethinking how our society structures the relationship of market work to family work, Williams presents her visions for a new paradigm which she calls reconstructive feminism or family humanism. She offers both legal strategies and policy initiatives for restructuring how we work and changing the ways we talk about gender. This book has had a tremendous impact on me. As a result, I am hoping to teach a law school course around this book next spring. Professor Williams has been extremely helpful in assisting me in that endeavor. In addition, I am urging everyone I know to read this book. We need to forge the coalitions Williams proposes if we are to be ultimately successful in unbending gender roles in our society.