While I was reading Megan Pinand’s paper called “Stories from the Sidelines” I kept thinking back to an episode of the TV Show Bethenny Ever After I saw recently. Bethenny Ever After is a show on Bravo that follows ex-Real Housewives star Bethenny Frankel in her everyday life. It shows her struggling to balance her new marriage, their few month old daughter, and her company. I obviously do not know first hand the struggles of a working mom but it is something that I have always taken an interest in. As someone who one day wants to have a family it is scary to hear all the stories from working mothers today. I found it very interesting to hear Pinand’s view of her two very different bosses and how she felt differently under each of them. I agree with her that the answer is not about individuals but about “workplace policies, state and federal policies, family structure, stereotypes about gender roles, and the attitudes of coworkers and management” (210). Bethenny Frankel works from home and is able to balance various things on more or less her own time, but even she struggles with it (as we can see from the clip I have posted of her asking Rachel Ray how to balance). Not all women are as fortunate as Rachel and Bethenny to have the celebrity power to do things on their own time, which is why I agree with Pinand that we need to seriously reconsider the actual structure behind the workplace. If we do not reconsider this, we run the risk of having too many women act like Pinand’s coworker did and come back only 3 weeks after having her baby. It is easier said than done but we, as a society, need to be able to find a balance between work and home that does not oppress either sex.
The other link I posted about Bethenny is her blog on People.com. In it you can see that she discusses the balance her and her husband have found and how he is so helpful. I found this interesting in comparison to Pat Mainardi’s paper titled “The Politics of Housework”. While I do not think all women are as fortunate as Bethenny, I also do not think that all women are as unfortunate as Mainardi. Mainardi’s piece was written in 1970 and I think while there are certain stereotypes and burdens on women that prevail today, our society has come a long way since 1970. I believe that it is possible to find this middle balance between the two extremes, but it will take some work.
I liked the way you encouraged us to question the very structure behind the workplace. Since for a long time historically men were the only ones operating in the workplace it is still a more welcoming environment for men who do not experience pregnancy and are under less pressure to actively care for their children. Though your reality TV example does seem to defy this, her husband does as much if not more in the home, I appreciate that you pointed out that this could be connected to her wealth/fame; it is the exception not the rule.
ReplyDelete