Women, Work and Revolution

For those who think women were created with an inbuilt gene for cleaning, cooking and clearing up, here's some news.

Women, Work and Revolution

8th March is International Women's Day and it's always a good time to evaluate how women are getting on in the world.

A recent report from the US has suggested that as job cuts surge in America, the number of women in work is on the brink of surpassing the number of men on payroll. But those encouraged at this apparent tilt towards gender equality will be disappointed to note that this situation has arisen, not because very much has changed for women in the workplace, but because of where the job cutting axe has been falling during this global recession.

In her report for The New York Times, Catherine Rampell points out that the proportion of women who are working has changed very little since the recession started. But a full 82% of the job losses have affected distressed industries like manufacturing and construction where men are heavily represented. Women tend to be employed in areas like education and health care, which are less sensitive to economic ups and downs, and in jobs that allow more time for child care and other domestic work.

Women may be safer in their jobs, says Rampell, but, in fact, their jobs are not necessarily as good and make it harder for them to support a family. For one thing, they work fewer overall hours than men. For another, women are far more likely to be in part-time jobs that come without either health or unemployment insurance. Even for women in full-time jobs, US government data shows that women earn 80 cents for each dollar of their male counterparts' income.

In fact, says Heather Boushey, a senior economist at the Center for American Progress, "given how stark and concentrated the job losses are among men, women are now bearing the burden — or the opportunity, one could say — of being breadwinners."

Women may be safer in their jobs but, in fact, their jobs are not necessarily as good and make it harder for them to support a family.

A perennial issue for women, though, is not just that the concept of equality seems pretty shaky in the workplace, but why it seems to totally fall apart in the home.

A survey by the University of Wisconsin's National Survey of Families and Households show that the average wife does 31 hours of housework a week while the average husband does 14 — a ratio of slightly more than two to one. Where wives stay at home and husbands are the sole earners, the number of hours goes up for women, to 38 hours of housework a week, and down a bit for men, to 12, a ratio of more than three to one.

All well and good, you may think. After all, if one partner is bringing home the bacon, the other should contribute to making that home look good. Sadly – but of no surprise to most women – when both partners work, the odds are even worse.

The survey also found that when both husband and wife have full-time paying jobs, the wife does 28 hours of housework and the husband, 16. A ratio just shy of two to one. Even sadder is the research by Sampson Lee Blair of the University of Buffalo which looked at married couples and found that "even where she has a job and he doesn't, even then you find the wife doing the majority of the housework."

A perennial issue for women, though, is not just that the concept of equality seems pretty shaky in the workplace, but why it seems to totally fall apart in the home.

But if the housework ratio of wife-to-husband in America is two to one, the ratio for child care is close to five to one. In a family where Mom stays home and Dad goes to work, she spends 15 hours a week caring for children and he spends 2. In families in which both parents are wage earners, Mom's average drops to 11 and Dad's goes up – all the way to 3.

According to recent data from the government's American Time Use Survey analyzed by two economists, Alan B. Krueger and Andreas Mueller, when women are unemployed and looking for a job, the time they spend daily taking care of children nearly doubles. Unemployed men's child care duties, by contrast, are virtually identical to those of their working counterparts, and they instead spend more time sleeping, watching TV and looking for a job, along with other domestic activities.

Many of the unemployed men they interviewed said they have tried to help out with cooking and other chores, but they have not had time to do more because job-hunting consumes their days.

"The survey also found that when both husband and wife have full-time paying jobs, the wife does 28 hours of housework and the husband, 16."

Well, for those who think women were created with an inbuilt gene for cleaning, cooking and clearing up, here's some news.

When evolution takes too long, the alternative is revolution. And there's a revolution on the way. It may be coming in bursts and without some of the drama of political revolutions, but change for women in the workplace and in the home will surely come about. In politics, the landscape for women in recent times has been transformed. New leaders such as Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson in Liberia and Angela Merkel in Germany have taken the tops spots in their respective countries, while the recent US elections turned the spotlight onto contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sarah Palin.

In the USA, the 'racial revolution' that brought Michelle Obama to the White House is one that is also allowing her to evolve the role of the professional working wife and mother beyond the narrow confines of the traditional White House spouse. Mrs. Obama has made it clear that she intends to serve as one of President Obama's chief surrogates on critical policy matters and to raise awareness of the barriers and constraints faced by the country's army of working mothers.

For those who think women were created with an inbuilt gene for cleaning, cooking and clearing up, here's some news.

This rather feisty behaviour has caused some grumbling and rumblings among those who feel that the inbuilt gene is alive and well and that talent that comes in the shape of a woman can afford to be ignored (except, of course, when displayed in the kitchen).

Luckily, those who see things this way are slowly but surely being eclipsed. Most people seem to have the good sense to acknowledge that a smart Princeton and Harvard educated lawyer like Mrs. Obama should not only be put to good use in these troubled times (when, let’s face it, we could do with all the smartness we can get) but will also prove a powerful and highly visible example and role model for other talented women.

As I wish women everywhere a happy International Women’s Day, I will continue to look forward to the day when, to paraphrase Dr. King, women will be defined, not by their gender, but by the content of their character. True equality will arrive when women feel comfortable and validated whether they opt to use their talents in the workplace or at home; when women can celebrate their choices and really share, not carry, domestic responsibilities; and when, painful though it may be, women can also lose jobs that are as well paid as the men.

Vive la révolution!

In this issue, we recognize International Women's Day by looking at some of the issues faced by women and shine the torch on our many women of talent.

In Finding the Keys to the Executive Suitewe take a closer look at a new study that reveals why Black Women in America are struggling to break into the executive suite of the nation's corporations.

Staying on the subject of inequality in the USA, we turn our attention to the advertising industry where rampant levels of racial discrimination are holding back Black professionals. Advertising Bias looks at the efforts of top civil rights lawyer, Cyrus Mehri, to change the racial profile of Madison Avenue's top executives.

In our Careers section this month, executive trainer Veronica Broome offers Seven Steps to Retaining and Attracting Customers in a Recession and suggests how, even during an economic downturn, organisations can keep good clients and attract new ones.

What impact does your hair have on your career prospects? Our career coach tackles this question in response to a reader's query 'Is Natural Hair Holding me Back?'

Alice Gbelia, the enterprising Founder and Editor of Catch A Vibe is our guest in this month's 5 Minute Interview and Alice shares some of the lessons she has learned along the way.

Speaking of inspirational entrepreneurs, we go back into the ReConnect Africa Archives and publish again our interview with Pauline Brobbey. In A Fabulous Alternative, Pauline talks about how she tapped into her Ghanaian heritage to create a range of African inspired designs that give everything from key rings to T-shirts an alternative and unique style.

Not entirely forgetting the men, we look at the issue of leadership and bring you our exclusive interview with Mbhazima Shilowa. As the co-founder of the Congress of the People (COPE), the former Premier of South Africa's Gauteng Province has shaken the political status quo in his country and electrified the forthcoming elections. In Coping with Leadership, Mr. Shilowa opens up about leadership, Africa - and the importance of mothers.

March sees a number of events taking place in the UK and overseas and our Events listing give you details of what's on this month.

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news from across the African continent.

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