For the Family?

How class and gender shape women's work

Sarah Damaske Ph.D.

The Blame Game

I've been delighted to see how many times work-family issues have made the national news this year. Yet, some of these articles seem to be playing the blame game, suggesting that women are at fault for their continued experience of work-family conflict.

Smaller Government Equals Fewer Jobs for Women

Over the last three years, men have accounted for 80% of the net job gains, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Public sector growth is necessary to boost women’s employment and that seems unlikely in the current political climate, as states continue to reduce budgets and cut spending, steps that hurt women’s continued employment.

The Paycheck Fairness Act

Women in a variety of fields make less than men even when they work the same number of hours in the same job. It seems very unlikely than these women are “choosing” these lower salaries.

The Real Reason Women Work

The Working Mother Research Institute found that the majority of mothers report feeling guilt about the work choices they've made. Framing these decisions as being made for the family, rather than for themselves, may help alleviate this guilt (and defer blame) by suggesting that women's work decisions are altruistic.