Pipeline and Labyrinth, Laura Ann

I really liked how the articles analyzed the role of women both in the workplace and in the home. The labyrinth article pointed out that women in the work place put in work hours both at home and at work but only earned 81 cents for every $1 that a man made. It is really annoying to read that because everyone knows that women put in more time emotionally then men do but we still get the crappy end of the deal. The article also said that "marriage and parenthood are associated with higher wages for men but not for women. " I would think that if anyone is going to get paid more for that it should be the women. That is like what Shannon said about her mom- having kids is a good thing! Why dont people get that? The pipeline article was interesting. It pointed out that "even women with the talent, drive, and moxie to clear every hurdle dont see themselves as political victors." I think that is really sad because men go out there knowing that they might not be the right guy for the job but they have the courage to just do it. I hope that eventually we can have some women that are more courageous to fill positions, it even says "midlife women are great candidates: they have rich skills, comfort, in their own skin and good stories to tell."

Our preliminary proposal

The topic that we have decided to research is "How advertisements portray women to the American public." We have split our group into 3 mini-groups in order to split up the work. The first group will research the history of advertisements particularly dealing with sex appeal and the role of women in society. This group will be made up of Katie and Alli. The second group will research how advertisements portray women by using sex appeal. This group will be made up of Shannon and Danielle. The third group will research how advertisements portray women in society. This group will be composed of Laura Ann and Kamryn. We will try to incorporate some sort of interactive activity with the presentation.

Motherhood as a Barrier to Women's Leadership (Shannon)

Both of the articles for next week talk about how motherhood often affects the pathway to leadership for many women. In “Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership,” Eagly and Carli explain that “decision makers often assume that mothers have domestic responsibilities that make it inappropriate to promote them to demanding positions” (Eagly and Carli 68). Why aren’t the children considered for men who are applying for higher positions? Shouldn’t fathers be just as important in children’s lives as mothers?

In “Operation Pipeline,” Hawkins asserts the fact that family still “remains an issue for women on the campaign trail. In trainings, women rehearse how to handle questions about whether they’re neglecting husbands or children” (Hawkins 90). Do people ever ask men if they’re neglecting their wife and kids? Does this idea even cross peoples’ minds? Probably not. Our current way of thinking about what is and is not acceptable for mothers and fathers needs some serious readjusting.

A couple of years ago, my mom applied for an upper management position at her company that she has been at for a good 23 or so years. During the interview, she was asked a question about how she would deal with difficult people and/or situations if she happened to get the position. In her answer, my mom said something about how she had raised three kids on her own and felt that she would be able to deal with any situation that presented itself. Immediately following the interview, the job candidates were given feedback and my mom was told that her biggest mistake was in saying (or admitting?!) that she was a mother.

While I was totally disgusted when my mom told me this story, it makes sense considering society’s current conceptions about the roles of men and women and what we expect of them. In Closing the Leadership Gap, Marie Wilson argues that “motherhood, often used as an excuse to keep us down, is actually one of the best sources of our power” (Wilson 71). Though it is one of our best sources of power, I guess we are just not allowed to talk about it yet as my mom mistakenly did in her interview…

meeting this wednesday

I just wanted to make sure I have this right....So our meeting time is Wednesday and we'll be meeting this week in the JC, right? Alli said that she isn't available until 10:15, so does 10:30 work, to give her a few minutes to get there?
I'll be there by 10:15 to get us a table - and I'll be in the area by the elevators --so just look for me.
Also, should we just plan on meeting every Wednesday, from now on? And if we don't have anything important we can cancel it - but this way we won't have conflicts in our schedules when we do need to meet.

Meeting times...

So here's the deal...for the schedules that I have (4 out of 6), Wednesday between 10am and 12:30pm works the best. And, is basically the only time that was posted where more than 2 people were available. However, I don't think it works for Kamryn.
Other times are (though, from what I have, these times only work for 2 people) -
Tuesday - 10am - 12pm
Wednesday - 10am - 2:30pm
Thursday - 9am - class
Friday - 9am - 12:30

Were people willing to meet on the weekend? Or have other times that are free even if just for a 1/2 hour?

Group meeting time

Hey All~
I'm just reminding you that I am still waiting on some peoples' schedules (so we can set a meeting time). If you could get them to me today, that would be great. So far it's looking like Wednesday would be the best time... I have class tonight, so when I get home I will finish this up, so hopefully you can get your times listed by then. But, if not I will just post what the best times are, with what I have, and we can go from there.

NMWA & Chapter 9 and the Afterword

National Museum of Women in the Arts

I really enjoyed the museum on Thursday and I am looking forward to taking a trip back on my own to see more of the exhibit that I wasn’t able to see during our visit. Like Katie, I felt myself looking at some of the pieces that the docent was not talking about—she seemed to be avoiding some of the more “controversial” pieces and those that may have warranted more explanation and discussion. I did, however, like the section of the exhibit that put women at their place in history. I missed the name of the woman who redid Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres’ painting called “The Turkish Bath,” but I found all of the paintings in that little room to be quite empowering. It seems like much of the history that we are taught in this part of the world ignores the fact that women had anything to do with where we currently are now—all of the important things have been accomplished by men alone. I felt that that specific section of the exhibit gave women their chance to be seen in places like the front lines of the revolution, which is a place where many people had probably never pictured women before.

Chapter 9 and the Afterword

The way that Marie Wilson ended her book with a collection of quotations from powerful women was very inspiring and moving. She said that the power of what these women said came from their interconnections, which is something that I definitely agree with.

One of the quotes that really spoke to the themes of this class was the one by Phoebe Eng on page 154. She said, “…I’ve learned that once people get used to the image of power embodied in different kinds of people, change begins…consistent presence is key.” As long as men AND women continue to see women taking on leadership roles and constantly being in the spotlight, I think it is very true that they will become more used to and comfortable with the idea of women as leaders. Consistent presence is key because if women leaders slip out of the spotlight and out of attention it seems like we would have to begin all over again. We can’t give up.

I liked the quotes that centered on Eleanor Roosevelt’s “Do something to scare yourself today” statement and the idea of taking risks and getting out of your comfort zone. This is something I really push myself to do—especially when it comes to my shyness and my discomfort with public speaking. Cathy Salser’s quote was perfect for this: “If you struggle with shyness…keep reaching beyond what is comfortable, and surround yourself with a few key women who will cheer you on, listen to the ups and downs, and encourage you toward your greatest dreams for leadership…” (Wilson 158). I have gotten in the habit of taking on public speaking opportunities (voluntarily speaking in class, participating in panel discussions, etc.) that I would normally run away from—and I even have people who know me well (and some who share my “fear!”) that I know I can go to for encouragement and also to share progress with.

Imagine how much growth women as a whole would experience if we all pushed ourselves to do one thing that scared us every day. I think we can make it happen if we all stick together and encourage each other along the way…