PEN-L message, Re: [Pen-l] a feminist angle

Greetings Economists,

On Dec 10, 2008, at 10:23 AM, Jim Devine wrote:

I think she's focusing on the current fact that women are
disproportionately represented in these professions. That's not saying
she likes it that way (though it might, since I don't know her
thoughts). Stating a fact is not the same as endorsing it.

Doyle;

She is in effect as David points out endorsing gender segregation of work. Quoting from one site about Hirshman -

"As mentioned in previous public comments, I had a long and interesting phone call with Hirshman when she was drafting her article. What stands out from that conversation was Hirshman's enthusiasm about how fun and exciting it was to excel in her career, her pride in her professional accomplishments, and how discouraged she was that today's younger women seem indifferent to the joys of working hard to get ahead -- although she did admit changes in the professional workplace over the last 15 years make going for the brass ring less attractive to anyone who wants a personal life. And while I disagree with Hirshman's basic premise: women bear greater responsibility for closing the gender gap at the office and at home; remaining barriers to women's success in public life are mostly of their own making; business and government have no incentive to relieve economic and time pressures on working families; and the quickest fix for the women's leadership problem is training young women to make more strategic choices about education, careers and childbearing -- we do see eye-to-eye on other issues."

found here - http://www.mothersmovement.org/features/05/hirshman/homebound_1.htm

Doyle,

Which is about her dissing care giving work over being a professional. Do you get the class position? If you want someone to represent women better see Chai Feldblum and her reforms on flexible work here - http://www.law.georgetown.edu/workplaceflexibility2010/

thanks,

Doyle Saylor