For next week only, I'm organizing a blog conference on the topic on work and family. After next week, I'm going to return to my old habit of writing random things.
I've gotten the ear of a group of academics and writers who are very interested in your views on the topic. Instead of sending them a list of links to my blog and other posts in the blogosphere, I'm going to collect everyone's views in one place. These scholars and writers have the power to change the direction of research and focus media attention on this topic. Because most of these influential women are a generation older than we are, they want to know about our experiences. Let's tell them what we think.
This week long blogfest is open to everyone. There will be posts that are directed aimed at women and men, academics and others, singles and parents. I want all perspectives.
Because this is a blog, I'm not going to pretend to be a disinterested moderator. Each post will begin either with a description of my own experiences or with a controversial statement.
Here's the tentative schedule for the event:
Monday -- General Topics Related to Parents and Mothers and Work. What skills has you gained as a parent that will carry over into the world of work? Describe your typical day. Do you feel your work at home is undervalued by society and by the workplace? What obstacles have you faced in holding a job and having a family? What is your childcare situation? In an ideal world, what percentage of time would you spend with your kids and what percentage with work? Is parenthood too hard today?
Tuesday -- Parenthood and Academia. What obstacles have you faced as an academic trying to balance family and work? For the singles, are we a big bunch of whiners? What changes could be made?
Wednesday -- The Guys. What balance of housework/childcare have you arranged with your spouse? For the women, are the guys doing their share? What problems do stay at home dads face?
Thursday -- Feminism and Politics. What's the big deal about having a career anyway? For younger women, were you disappointed that other women never told you how difficult it would be to have it all? Knowing what you know, what advice would give young people? What political and social changes would you like to see? Is Sweden a good model? Are women their own worst enemy?
Friday -- I'm not sure. Something fun, like telling the story of how your kid stuck breakfast cereal up his nose.
Do not answer any of these questions yet. But do give me advice of topics you would like to see covered. If you have a blog, please share this information with your readers. Encourage your friends who normally don't read blogs to participate. Let's see how this works out.