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The New Feminist Agenda
Feminists opened up thousands of doors in the 1960s and 1970s, but decades later, are U.S. women where they thought they'd be? The answer, it turns out, is a resounding no. Surely there have been gains. Women now comprise nearly 60 percent of college undergraduates and half of all medical and law students. They have entered the workforce in record numbers, making the two-wage-earner family the norm. But combining a career and family turned out to be more complicated than expected. While women changed, social structures surrounding work and family remained static. Affordable and high-quality child care, paid family leave, and equal pay for equal work remain elusive for the vast majority of working women. In fact, the nation has fallen far behind other parts of the world on the gender-equity front. We lag behind more than seventy countries when it comes to the percentage of women holding elected federal offices. Only 17 percent of corporate boards include women members. And just 5 percent of Fortune 500 companies are led by women.
It’s time, says Madeleine M. Kunin, to change all that. Looking back over five decades of advocacy, she analyzes where progress stalled, looks at the successes of other countries, and charts the course for the next feminist revolution—one that mobilizes women, and men, to call for the kind of government and workplace policies that can improve the lives of women and strengthen their families.
It’s time, says Madeleine M. Kunin, to change all that. Looking back over five decades of advocacy, she analyzes where progress stalled, looks at the successes of other countries, and charts the course for the next feminist revolution—one that mobilizes women, and men, to call for the kind of government and workplace policies that can improve the lives of women and strengthen their families.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
11 people are currently reading
511 people want to read
About the author
Madeleine Kunin
6 books4 followersMadeleine M. Kunin was the first woman governor of Vermont, and served as the Deputy Secretary of Education and Ambassador to Switzerland under President Bill Clinton. She is the author of Living a Political Life and is currently a Marsh Scholar Professor-at-Large at the University of Vermont and lectures on history and women's studies. She also serves as president of the board of the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC), a nongovernmental organization that she founded in 1991. She lives in Burlington, Vermont.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 5, 2013
A comprehensive look at the policies for which the feminist movement should be fighting. As suggested by the title, this book is more an argument for which policies ought to become central than it is a prescription for how to bring about those changes. Kunin makes a lot of very relevant, excellent points, and this is a book I'd strongly recommend to anyone. If we're serious about reviving our economy, we need to get beyond inflammatory rhetoric and start looking for real, long-term solutions. More complete review to come.
Full review:
Feminism has become such a loaded word. Detractors like to paint feminists as man-haters who want to subjugate anyone whose chromosomes aren't XX. Young, influential stars and singers don't want to declare themselves feminists because they fear losing fans. I've always found this upsetting because the real goal of feminism is to achieve gender parity, a world in which the words, "She's pretty good, for a woman..." are never spoken, where women enjoy the exact same rights as men. What's long surprised me is that gender parity would be beneficial not just for women, but also for men. But those who have a vested interest in maintaining gender inequality don't want anyone to know that. However, as Kunin demonstrates in this book, a real feminist agenda is a family agenda, one that creates benefits for both sexes alike as it ensures that women have equal rights to men.
Kunin offers up sensible suggestions for changes to society and the workplace that would benefit everyone, and she provides evidence to back up the legitimacy of these suggestions. One thing we do know from study after study is that societies fare much better when women wield some economic power, yet the U.S. is far behind the rest of the world when it comes to the creation of family-friendly policies that would enable both men and women to devote themselves to both career and family. For a nation that talks a lot about the importance of family, the U.S. takes a whole lot less action. Kunin draws comparisons to other countries with more liberal policies on things like free preschool education, state-subsidized child care, and extended paid maternity--and sometimes even paternity--leave. Yes, these changes do require a change in philosophy but, as Kunin shows, things like paid paternity leaves are gaining traction in places like Scandinavia, where employers are gradually coming to not only expect their male employees to take some time off after a baby is born, but to recognize the value in it.
Free preschool education is another area of great importance--there's a reason why it figured so prominently in President Obama's State of the Union speech. Regardless of where one falls on the political spectrum, studies prove that early childhood is critical to the development of children, both emotional and education. Children who attend preschool are better prepared and fare better in their later school careers, which means they score better on the all-important standardized tests upon which the U.S. has become so dependent. This has broad-reaching economic implications, as areas that have a highly educated population are attractive to the high-tech industries that form the backbone of 21st century economics. In order to be competitive with the rest of the world, the U.S. will need to get serious about education, and providing every American child with a preschool education is the first step. Even for those Americans who don't have children, there will be benefits in the form of better availability of high-quality jobs and a better economy for the country as a whole.
One of the other interesting areas Kunin explores is how diversity influences the profitability of businesses. On the face of it, this shouldn't come as such a surprise. When you have a company that tends to be homogenous, it stands to reason that their views will also be homogenous, which means they will be missing out on huge swaths of potential business. By diversifying company staffs and especially company leadership, businesses open the door to a wider range of ideas and opinions, which can only help them to better understand the clientele they serve.
The domestic sphere is another area addressed in the book whose importance I think is underestimated. Studies show that households with more equitable divisions of labor enjoy greater levels of martial satisfaction, which only makes sense. How can women feel they're valued by their partners if they're treated as unpaid household servants? Happier, more peaceful marriages would likely mean less divorce, and greater involvement in their children's lives on the parts of fathers would mean happier children. Looked at from another perspective, how does it serve men to tell them that their desire to spend more time with their families is of no value, and that they are meant only to be chained to their desk, working away while their children grow up without them?
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants a clearer picture of what feminism is all about, because it will help them to understand that the structure of our society is not only harmful to women, it's harmful to men in ways that we, as Americans, haven't fully acknowledged. By treating people like people with their own hopes, wishes, dreams, and desires, we will be doing a far greater service than lumping them into "male" and "female" and assigning certain characteristics to everyone who falls within those categories. By reaching gender parity, we can also reach a new definition of "manhood", one that's far more inclusive of men who don't fall within the traditional, stereotypical definitions of what it means to be a man.
Full review:
Feminism has become such a loaded word. Detractors like to paint feminists as man-haters who want to subjugate anyone whose chromosomes aren't XX. Young, influential stars and singers don't want to declare themselves feminists because they fear losing fans. I've always found this upsetting because the real goal of feminism is to achieve gender parity, a world in which the words, "She's pretty good, for a woman..." are never spoken, where women enjoy the exact same rights as men. What's long surprised me is that gender parity would be beneficial not just for women, but also for men. But those who have a vested interest in maintaining gender inequality don't want anyone to know that. However, as Kunin demonstrates in this book, a real feminist agenda is a family agenda, one that creates benefits for both sexes alike as it ensures that women have equal rights to men.
Kunin offers up sensible suggestions for changes to society and the workplace that would benefit everyone, and she provides evidence to back up the legitimacy of these suggestions. One thing we do know from study after study is that societies fare much better when women wield some economic power, yet the U.S. is far behind the rest of the world when it comes to the creation of family-friendly policies that would enable both men and women to devote themselves to both career and family. For a nation that talks a lot about the importance of family, the U.S. takes a whole lot less action. Kunin draws comparisons to other countries with more liberal policies on things like free preschool education, state-subsidized child care, and extended paid maternity--and sometimes even paternity--leave. Yes, these changes do require a change in philosophy but, as Kunin shows, things like paid paternity leaves are gaining traction in places like Scandinavia, where employers are gradually coming to not only expect their male employees to take some time off after a baby is born, but to recognize the value in it.
Free preschool education is another area of great importance--there's a reason why it figured so prominently in President Obama's State of the Union speech. Regardless of where one falls on the political spectrum, studies prove that early childhood is critical to the development of children, both emotional and education. Children who attend preschool are better prepared and fare better in their later school careers, which means they score better on the all-important standardized tests upon which the U.S. has become so dependent. This has broad-reaching economic implications, as areas that have a highly educated population are attractive to the high-tech industries that form the backbone of 21st century economics. In order to be competitive with the rest of the world, the U.S. will need to get serious about education, and providing every American child with a preschool education is the first step. Even for those Americans who don't have children, there will be benefits in the form of better availability of high-quality jobs and a better economy for the country as a whole.
One of the other interesting areas Kunin explores is how diversity influences the profitability of businesses. On the face of it, this shouldn't come as such a surprise. When you have a company that tends to be homogenous, it stands to reason that their views will also be homogenous, which means they will be missing out on huge swaths of potential business. By diversifying company staffs and especially company leadership, businesses open the door to a wider range of ideas and opinions, which can only help them to better understand the clientele they serve.
The domestic sphere is another area addressed in the book whose importance I think is underestimated. Studies show that households with more equitable divisions of labor enjoy greater levels of martial satisfaction, which only makes sense. How can women feel they're valued by their partners if they're treated as unpaid household servants? Happier, more peaceful marriages would likely mean less divorce, and greater involvement in their children's lives on the parts of fathers would mean happier children. Looked at from another perspective, how does it serve men to tell them that their desire to spend more time with their families is of no value, and that they are meant only to be chained to their desk, working away while their children grow up without them?
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants a clearer picture of what feminism is all about, because it will help them to understand that the structure of our society is not only harmful to women, it's harmful to men in ways that we, as Americans, haven't fully acknowledged. By treating people like people with their own hopes, wishes, dreams, and desires, we will be doing a far greater service than lumping them into "male" and "female" and assigning certain characteristics to everyone who falls within those categories. By reaching gender parity, we can also reach a new definition of "manhood", one that's far more inclusive of men who don't fall within the traditional, stereotypical definitions of what it means to be a man.
November 2, 2018
I loved this book more than I thought I would. The nerd in me loved how she weaved in policy possibilities at the state and national level. Even though she would discuss other concepts and initiatives, she was always able to bring it back to family leave.
March 26, 2013
A bit repetitive with statistics but overall a good summary of issues facing women, and truly families, of all races and socioeconomic status today. Certainly a must-read for anyone interested in the state of feminism and the work-life balance debate.
This is not a step by step guide to changing the world but explores her experience as a activist, governor, and mother, and provides general advice to the reader on what she thinks are the most pressing issues today and how they can be resolved / accomplished.
This is not a step by step guide to changing the world but explores her experience as a activist, governor, and mother, and provides general advice to the reader on what she thinks are the most pressing issues today and how they can be resolved / accomplished.
Want to read
May 13, 2012Just read the review for this in the NYT. Really interesting article about the politics and economics of motherhood and parenting. It makes me interested in not only reading this, but also researching how the dilemma of the dependent spouse (mother) plays into the conversation.
Other books mentioned in the article:
The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women by Elisabeth Badinter
Making Babies: Stumbling into Motherhood by Anne Enright
Other books mentioned in the article:
The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women by Elisabeth Badinter
Making Babies: Stumbling into Motherhood by Anne Enright
Read
October 1, 2013I tried really hard with this book, but her single-minded focus on women with children and the benefits we need to give them, while laudable, left me unmoved. It's a shame because Kunin brought in the idea that family leave could be beneficial to those caring for elderly parents once or twice, which I think would have expanded her audience, but she was so strident about her idea that the sole focus of feminism needs to be benefits for mothers and children that I couldn't finish the book.
October 4, 2012
I was hoping for a book to give practical ways for change. Specifically for women and men who want to creat equality in the workplace and family life. Interesting information on foreign policy. Bottom line, how does America find the balance between forging the path to success with our families and a career? Can men be allowed to put family as a priority and still be looked at as a key player in the workforce? I wanted a book with less theory and more "rubber meets the road" ideas.
July 11, 2017
Democratic leader perspective on why it is important to support family friendly workplace policies and how advocates might position their arguments to win. Written by Madeleine Kunin, first woman governor of VT. Published in 2012, so some stats might need to be updated, but overall, a good policy reference for those interested in furthering family friendly legislation. Certainly timely given the Trump election.
September 30, 2012
Ms. Kunin does an excellent job articulating why parents and non-parents alike should fight for better family/work policies. She explains the societal and economic effects these policies could have and why family/work conflicts are not just individual family struggles. Lastly, Ms. Kunin offers concrete suggestions for how to advocate for better family/work policies.
March 15, 2013
Loved this book! I really liked the points argued about how we need to advocate for better policies that will help strengthen families. I don't know how to implement all of the policy without too much government being involved, but it was a clear case for why it is important to do so. Loved it.
July 13, 2015
The former governor of Vermont writes about a new agenda for women to pursue--family leave insurance for new parents or to care for family members who are sick; and comprehensive child care to allow all parents to work to support their families.
October 26, 2012
A great book for girls of any age & essential to any man who has a woman in his life that he loves.
January 8, 2013
I agree with most of it, but the book is so repetitive.
April 30, 2013
I'm giving this 5 starts not because it's amazing or brilliant, but because it's just necessary. Stats, policy discussions, totally practical.
May 7, 2013
you snooze, you lose
October 25, 2013
Could have been an article. Interesting thesis but not that much light shed on how, practically speaking, we can make a difference.
September 24, 2013
Dense. Eye-opening, but also slightly depressing.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews