Mothers today feel like they are going absolutely crazy. They are exhausted, underpaid and under-appreciated. They feel like slaves to their kids, homes, husbands and careers - just like our mothers did. So what went wrong?
Most people blame mothers for this state of affairs. We tell women that motherhood is blissful and it's up to them to find work-life balance. We remind them that they chose to have children and can decide if they wish to have a career or not. But how free are their choices?
Did the suffragists and feminists fail mothers?
This book gets to the heart of the reasons why mothers are unhappy today and what's really holding them back. It shifts the blame from mothers, to hundreds of pressures that make it extraordinarily difficult for mothers to flourish. This book is an easy-to-read summary of the extensive academic research on motherhood. It not only describes the 15 main barriers that women face but also provides 15 practical strategies, including: stop asking mothers to choose career or familynever expect mothers to be martyrs to kidsmake childcare available, affordable and acceptablequestion the 24/7 work culture and the mommy penaltyadopt a partnership model of the family
Unlike other books that urge women to be super-moms, this book focuses on the whole institution of motherhood consisting of our traditional family model, our traditions and out-dated beliefs. Although motherhood may be madness, it need not be. This book provides a manifesto for anyone who wants mothers to be happy and free.
Maureen F. Fitzgerald, PhD, LLM, JD, BComm is a former lawyer, law professor and gender expert. She is also a mother and the author of twelve books. She practiced law for 20 years, has two law degrees, a business degree and a doctorate degree. As one of Canada's most articulate and outspoken advocates for social justice and equality she calls herself a maven on a mission."
Despite the promises of the suffragists and feminists women today are still at the bottom. They are at the bottom of corporations, the bottom of family units and the bottom of society. As a group, women have less money, influence and opportunity than men and men continue to hold the bulk of power in business, politics and economics. Women continue to be subjected to violence, objectified, sexualized and sold for their bodies.
What went wrong?
Most people like to think that women have achieved equality and really only suffer in rare situations, inside families or in remote parts of the world. We think that advocates for women will eventually succeed in securing equality for women and that feminism is unnecessary.So why is progress so slow?
What many people do not know is this: academics have been studying the sociology, politics and economics relating to women for many years. These experts know exactly why women are not advancing in their homes, in their communities and in society. They know precisely what's really holding women back.
Occupy Women is a synthesis of this research, written in plain language. It provides a succinct summary of the barriers and, more importantly, an action plan consisting of 21 strategies to be used by anyone wishing to advance women, including: acknowledge our thousand-year-old hierarchychallenge male privilegeend media sexualization and stereotypingexplore our fear of strong womenhonor feminine intelligence
In an intelligent and compassionate manner, Maureen Fitzgerald taps the wisdom of hundreds of authors including Anne Wilson Schaef, Riane Eisler and Marianne Williamson. This book is a manifesto for every woman, man and child. It should be read by anyone who truly wants women to reach their full potential.
Maureen F. Fitzgerald, PhD, LLM, JD, BComm is a former lawyer, law professor and gender expert. She is the author of twelve books, practiced law for 20 years, has two law degrees, a business degree and a doctorate degree. She is one of Canada's most articulate and outspoken advocates for social justice and equality."
Despite all the talk of diversity and empowerment, women are still falling off corporate ladders like never before. Although women have been graduating in equal numbers to men for almost 40 years, they remain absent in the highest levels in public and private corporations. While individual women go about seeking work-life balance, board members and executives scratch their chins wondering why things are not changing for women.
What many leaders do not know
Academics have been studying these issues for years and know exactly why women are not advancing and what's really holding them back. They know that woman face significant barriers and biases, they know that many expensive diversity reports are collecting dust on shelves and they can't understand why their data remains hidden.
This book is a synthesis of this research, written in plain language. It not only describes the 20 main barriers that women face but also provides 20 specific strategies to be used by any organization wishing to advance women, including: don't fall for the pipeline theorystop telling women to lean innotice the absurd expectations we place on womendon't expect women to be mini-menreject outdated stereotypes
Unlike other books that urge women to work harder and smarter, this book focuses on the corporate playing field consisting of the corporate model, workplace cultures and out-dated mindsets.
If we really want women to succeed we must stop asking women to change and instead start tackling the very real barriers that are holding women back."
