Tag Archives: work life balance

Frisky Q&A: Gloria Feldt, Author Of “No Excuses,” On Women And Power

Jessica WakemanOctober 21, 2010 //

Growing up in rural Texas, Gloria Feldt became pregnant at age 15 in the 1950s. The birth control pill did not exist and abortion was illegal; it was a time when a wife needed her husband’s signature to open a bank account and job listings said “Wanted: Male” and “Wanted: Female.” So, she married the guy who got her pregnant and by age 20, they had three kids together. Although she loved her family, Gloria felt she had very little ability to make choices for her own life. She began working at a small Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas (and can remember a time when the birth control pill was so new that men were afraid of it and would flush their wives’ pills down the toilet!). Eventually, the kids were grown and the marriage dissolved, but Gloria rose through the ranks of Planned Parenthood, eventually becoming the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She served PPFA from 1996 to 2005, testifying before Congress and even appearing on “The O’Reilly Factor” (and coming out alive). Keep reading »

Work-Life Balance For Women? Pffffft, Says Jack Welch

Jessica WakemanJuly 15, 2009 //

Business guru and former CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch, recently gave a speech in which he said said women in the working world have to realize that “there’s no such thing as work-life balance.” Instead, we all make “work-life choices” and if women choose to take time off from work for children, there could be “consequences” to that choice. Notably, Welch said, women who stay home with children might be passed over for promotions if we are “not there in the clutch.” In other words, you can’t have your cake and eat it, too.

I actually do agree with some of his points—taking time off to raise kids sets women and their skills back, and people who are present and excelling “in the clutch” deserve promotions and rewards more than people who aren’t. But the problem with work-life balance isn’t exactly the way Welch makes it sound, as if we only have two choices. The problem is that for a really long time, the workplace was set up so moms and dads had to make those choices. Keep reading »

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