Working Women Need a Wife (you've got to be kidding me!)

In an article in the Seattle PI today, New York times writer Shira Boss tells us that working women still yearn for a wife, an idea first proposed in an essay by Judy Syfers.

Today's piece informs us that "companies expect you to perform as if someone is at home taking care of everything for you". A fine gem of wisdom from Kim Kandy, president of NOW. The cute little cartoon that accompanies this piece tells us that "a lack of spousal support is an impediment to career success." The second page headline adds "motherhood penalty".

However, this piece also provides us with two clues as to what is really going on in the workforce.

Clue 1: A study using the Minnesota Twins Registry found that holding genetics and education constant (IE: removing them as the source of the difference), that married male twins made 26 percent more that their unmarried brothers.
My husband and I immediately looked at each other and said "Duh!". When a man is providing for his partner or family, his is more focused, dependable, and committed to the work he is doing. He's fulfilling his natural role as "provider". He's less likely to call in sick, slack off on the job, or make careless mistakes.

Clue 2: Ms. Boss points out that "many men are sharing the work of chores and child care with their wives, and some do it all as single parents, but women still generally shoulder a greater burden of household business (or fretting over how to do what is not getting done)."
Hello? This means that women are not completely focused on work!

Later in the piece she notes that "Even if the workload is divided, women complain that they are usually the ones organizing, juggling, and filling their head space with the daily demands of family life. That leaves less time and energy to focus on workplace tasks."

So do we still not understand why married women earn less than married men? Men put 100% of their focus and creative energy into their work while they are at work. (Sometimes, they put 100% of their focus and creative energy into their work while they are at home, which can make it difficult to have a conversation or even a relationship; but that's another issue...)

Women put much of their focus and creative energy into their home and family. Work is work, we tend to leave it at work. Family is family, and it tends to come to work with us, as we make 101 phone calls to arrange for play dates, fixing the gutters, shopping for school supplies, childcare, and new tires on the minivan. (The worst haircut my son ever got was interrupted about 50 times by the hairstylist taking phone calls from her daughter at home, mostly to say "don't call me at work." She explained that she had to take the calls, because if she didn't, the daughter would simply call the salon work number, which would cost her her job... Her inability focus on her work certainly cost her my return business!)

Here is a challenge for my fellow sisters. Today at work, do not make a single personal phone call. Instead, keep a log of all the personal calls that you need to make, when you get home from work. Then do us all a favor, and make those calls from home, rather than from the car on your way to soccer practice. (Of course, this is impossible, you will complain, because those people that I need to talk to will no longer be at work! How ironic.)

Least you cry "foul", please be aware that I am an entrepreneurial mom - I own my own business, thank you very much, and I'm juggling the same demands that you do: home, children, husband, elderly parents. My best employee is also a single working mom, and in three years, she has only left work to deal with childcare issues one time - and ended up spending the day that time at the hospital. When we are working, we are totally focused on work, because that's how we put the groceries on the table.

I think that it's time for women to learn to do a better job of compartmentalizing work and home. If that seems unreasonable or unfair, then you might consider doing some financial downsizing, as many women are, and staying home to take care of the household, kids, husband, and parents. After all, that is our natural role.

Indy

Redmond WA Mayor's race

Time to weigh in on the local race for Mayor of the City of Redmond, WA.

I can't stand current mayor Rosemarie Ives. She endorses Jim Robinson. Strike one.
Robinson's statement in the voter's pamphlet includes the following statement: "I will work to rebalance the revenues so business shares the investment in Redmond's future proportionately with the residents." Hmmm. Strike two.
His motto, also in the voters pamphlet: "Smart, Practical and Progressive." Progressive is the new code word for "flaming liberal". Strike three.

Pertaining to aforementioned Strike two, an advertising piece received in the mail, pointed out that more people work in Redmond than live in Redmond, so therefore local "big" businesses need to contribute more to the local tax base.

What? You want to stab in the back the businesses that have grown the local tax base? Let's just tax the workers who don't live in Redmond. A wheel tax, perhaps? Perhaps they don't live IN Redmond because freaking Mayor Ives has created a shortage of affordable housing???? 'Ya think? He's outta here!

Then there's John Marchione. Nice guy. Works hard on the city council. Well intentioned, but frequently misguided in his beliefs. His ad piece highlights his work with employee unions. I'm anti-union, so Strike one.
Next, his statement in the voters pamphlet supports the addition of firefighters, when the city already has more than enough. He goes on to say that he has "championed a fiscally responsible city budget". How'd he do that? He refused to add the funds to the budget for said needed firefighters, and instead sent a proposition to the voters to increase our property taxes by a HUGE amount. How responsible! Strikes two and three.

This leaves candidate Holly Plackett. Don't know her, but she's also been a Redmond Council member so she has some experience. She gets my vote by supporting "best available science environmental standards", and "a fair tax structure for businesses". Can you tell I'm a local business owner yet?

Please get out and vote in the Redmond primary this August 21st.

IndySee, aka NWClosetCon

Thoughts from the throne

Pillbox and I follow the reports on global warming pretty carefully. From what we can see in the scientific data, global warming is linked to sunspots. Here is an article from The Heartland Institute that supports that view. This is an older article, but still relevant. Why do the Global Warming Jihadists insist that their theory is the "only true way"? Because they see it as the path to power, that's why.

The fiasco in Wisconson is another amazing example of a democratic power grab. They don't even have a problem with uninsurance rates... they have one of the best uninsured rates in the country!

Pillbox's Breakfast Rants and Raves - Tue 8/7/2007

Item 1: An article in the PI uses the MN Bridge collapse as a chance to criticize the federal response to Katrina. These people have lost touch with any inkling of objectivity! What is the point? They find some gal who still isn't in her home, and they use that as an excuse to Bush Bash. Maybe they think the President should be down there with a tool belt rebuilding her home himself?

Hatred is the only thing that comes out of the liberal media. I'm concerned that we're going to have a civil war here in the U.S. because of the lack of objective reporting.

Item 2: Roadside Bomb claims three...
The Sub-title on this article bothers me: "Their tour in Iraq extended in the "surge"". When I read this type of headline and subtitle, I realize we're fighting terrorists at home in the media, as well as on the ground in Iraq.

We've lost so few people over there. We're making peace, we're not making war. We're on a peacekeeping mission, and these soldiers volunteered for the job. In fact, they "wanted to fight for their country"; another was "estatic" to have the opportunity. Let's honor their sacrifice, not use it to detract from the effort of peacemaking.