Brush Stroke
September 21, 2012
     
Greetings! 
    
The same quality content (formerly called MOTHERS eNews) is now being delivered to you as the NAMC eNews - Advocacy Edition

Knowledge IS Power! So continue to empower yourself by reading what we have for you in this edition:
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The National Association of Mothers' Centers (NAMC) provides programs that empower mothers, fathers and caregivers to find solutions that work for their families, their work lives and their personal lives.
DispatchDC Dispatch: Knowledge IS Power
 
Patriotic Boot

Over and over again I hear women tell me that political ads are so confusing and contradictory, they don't know what to think or whom to vote for. I completely understand that feeling. Anybody with the money to advertise certainly does have an axe to grind, and they are not interested in laying out the unvarnished facts so that you can form your own opinion. Fortunately, it only takes a little more effort to keep reliable data at hand and have confidence that your opinions are founded on accurate information and your own values and priorities. Read more here.

DebateGet In On The Debate   

 

Sure, the economy is important - but there's a lot more at stake in these elections. This  nifty page from EveryChildMatters.org lets you tell the debate moderators the questions YOU want put to the candidates. Is children's health, education, and family income important to you? How about fighting child abuse, and safe, affordable afterschool programs? Yours is the voice in the moderator's ear, prompting the next question. How cool is that?

worklifeWork/Life Issues In the New York Times 

 

There it was, on the front of the Sunday Business section. Above the fold, even. With a big picture. Finally, work and family is everyone's issue in a major print media publication. From Cali Yost writing in Work + Life Fit, Inc.:

Yes, women and mothers need to flexibly manage their work and life everyday and throughout their careers (I am a mother of two and I understand all too well), but as the image of Gilani and his kids that accompanied this article shows so clearly, so do men and fathers. And, while not pictured, so do young people going back to school at night, or someone caring for an adult sibling with disabilities. 

 

It doesn't take a lot to get us excited - but this was major. 

numbersWomen by the Numbers
  

 

Labor Day prompted the good folks at the National Women's Law Center to pull together some facts about women. Here's a sample:

   

 

  • The percentage of American families in which women are primary or co-breadwinners: 63.
  • The number of federal laws providing paid sick leave, paid family leave, or fair scheduling practices: 0.
  • The average number of hours a woman spends per day caring for and helping household members, doing housework, fixing meals and managing the household: nearly 5.
  • The amount of money a typical woman loses over the course of a 40-year career due to the wage gap: $431,000.

More data about women and the pay gap, undergrad and graduate degrees, unemployment etc. in the NWLC Labor Day Index.

AnnAnn Crittenden and the Fertility Paradox
   

Writing for The European Institute, author Ann Crittenden, (The Price of Motherhood, If You've Raised Kids, You Can Manage Anything), founder of MOTHERS, discusses the relationship between social policy and birth rates.

 

The highest birthrates in the West are in countries like Sweden and France, which have the highest rates of working women and the most family-friendly workplaces. The lowest birthrates are in the more traditional countries like Germany, Italy, Greece, Russia, and Japan, where women are encouraged to embrace traditional motherhood once they have a child. Demographers have dubbed this the "fertility paradox."

 

If having children is one of multiple social roles a woman can fill, she is more likely to do so. If the choice is between children or economic independence, she's less likely to want motherhood. You'll find the essay here.

Mothers with baby

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Thank you for making a difference!

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Sincerely,
Linda Lisi Juergens
Executive Director
NAMC
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