Author Archive

    Screw Work Life Balance: We Need Work Life Policy! Join the Movement at BlogHer

    Posted August 2nd, 2010 by Morra Aarons-Mele

    For over two years, The Four Hour Work Week has been a national bestseller. Why? Because most of us resent feeling tethered to our jobs, and we know we could still do great work even if we had the ability to control our schedules and factor family needs into our day. But workers are completely [...]

    The Food Revolution, The Work Revolution

    Posted April 2nd, 2010 by Morra Aarons-Mele

    At the inaugural White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility yesterday President Obama stressed the profound disconnect between the needs of our families and the demands of our workplaces. As a whole our culture sees flexibility as a special perk for women rather than as a critical part of a workplace that can help all of us. [...]

    Posted Under: O: Open Flexible Work

    The Promise of New Deal Feminism

    Posted December 14th, 2009 by Morra Aarons-Mele

    A single mom needs work; she’s literally thinking about applying for welfare. As she writes on her blog, “I had been looking for a better job, but there were none to be had in the low-income/high-unemployment area where I lived. And I couldn’t get a full-time job anyway — I was still on the waiting [...]

    What Should Companies Do to Retain New Moms?

    Posted October 29th, 2009 by Morra Aarons-Mele

    I was at the Working Mother Work Life Congress this week, which showcases the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers and also provides workshops and discussions for people who work in the field unfortunately called “work life.” Companies were asking: What should we do to retain new moms, and to keep them engaged and energized? [...]

    Thinking about non-traditional maternity leaves

    Posted July 10th, 2009 by Morra Aarons-Mele

    A recent Good Morning America story reflected something I’m hearing more of from friends: now doesn’t feel like a safe time to take a full maternity leave. As Ellen Galinsky notes in the piece “The issue for women these days is that they are increasingly important financial supporters of the family,” unemployment rates and pay [...]

    Jumping back on the ladder- a conversation with Harvard’s Christine Heenan

    Posted June 25th, 2009 by Morra Aarons-Mele

    Cross-posted from the Huffington Post Brenda Barnes, now CEO of Sara Lee, has gotten a lot of press because she left the corporate workforce for a decade to spend more time with her children, and recently returned to be CEO of a major company. Barnes is indeed a rare person, and women can make themselves [...]

    Posted Under: O: Open Flexible Work

    Link blogging health care reform- why no single payer option?

    Posted June 9th, 2009 by Morra Aarons-Mele

    While doing research for a CNN.com Live appearance on health care reform and the Senate, I collated a series of helpful links. I am a proponent of single payer reform, but as has been reported, it’s just off the table on Capitol Hill. Obama himself said, “if he could start from scratch, single-payer might make [...]

    Act now to protect Children’s Health Insurance in Texas

    Posted May 29th, 2009 by Morra Aarons-Mele

    Julie Pippert writes of the battle to protect CHIP in Texas. You can act now to voice your support of CHIP in Texas. And, as more states face budget shortfalls, protecting CHIP/SCHIP in your state will be an issue to keep watching- in California, Gov. Schwarzenegger “may eliminate the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, called [...]

    Rescuing our kids from too much princess glitter and camo gear: TV

    Posted May 28th, 2009 by Morra Aarons-Mele

    When I was a kid I wasn’t allowed to watch anything but PBS. I was completely out of the loop and constantly teased for my lameness. I will never do that to my kids! Kids loving TV is a reality for parents, and it can be a positive force. But a SurveyUSA poll of 1000 [...]

    Are you working a “Second Shift”?

    Posted May 15th, 2009 by Morra Aarons-Mele

    Does the Second Shift still apply? I’m re-reading Arlie Hochschild’s 1989 classic in preparing a syllabus for a course on 21st Century feminism. Hochschild’s findings were clear and familiar to many women: when they get home from work, many women with children work a “second shift” of domestic and child care responsibilities. Hochschild opens her [...]

    Older Entries »