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The Opting Out Myth

October 1, 2009
Valerie Young's picture
Valerie Young
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From Your (Wo)manInWashington blog

The US Senate decreed in 2003 that October be designated Work and Family Month.  This year's observance started off with a BANG this morning with the Washington Post announcing on its front page that the "opt out revolution", i.e. working women leaving the board room for the play room, was a myth. 

Based on US Census data, the article reports that 1 out of 4 married mothers stay home with children under 15, while the vast majority work outside the home.  In numeric terms, there are 5.6 million stay at home mothers, and about 165,000 stay at home dads.
 
So, now that the  presence of women with children in the workplace is documented, can we please move along with the work of hauling the US into the 21st century?  Paid family medical leave, anyone?  Flexible workplaces? Paid sick days? Rights for part-time workers?

You can reach the Washington Post article here.

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