tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3260118906064618673.post5475206140867818800..comments2023-03-30T18:57:24.454+09:00Comments on Jackson Riley: My Thoughts on 'Why Women Still Can't Have It All'Sarah S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05767639316256201013noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3260118906064618673.post-16770027807454178122012-07-05T22:33:25.548+09:002012-07-05T22:33:25.548+09:00What kills me most is that this is supposed to be ...What kills me most is that this is supposed to be a "feminist perspective" or a "feminist revelation." Excuse me, folks, but this is a societal issue. NO one can have it all, men or women alike, and the idea that we can do so without our families, our jobs, our health, taking the backseat for an indeterminate amount of time is part of what leaves our society, and most importantly, our kids, in the sad state it is today. And I don't mean that in a "family values" kind of way, but in the way that we've lost sight of what's important to us individually, and now collectively, as a society, we demonize anyone who seems to have found it. Good stuff, miss Sarah!megnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3260118906064618673.post-69568461953223485712012-07-05T08:00:44.178+09:002012-07-05T08:00:44.178+09:00Well, thank you. I also like to ramble. So, there&...Well, thank you. I also like to ramble. So, there's that.Kimberlyhttp://eclpse.livejournal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3260118906064618673.post-37426063081651049062012-07-04T11:04:12.277+09:002012-07-04T11:04:12.277+09:00You are one smart lady, Ms. Kimberly. For reals.You are one smart lady, Ms. Kimberly. For reals.Sarah S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05767639316256201013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3260118906064618673.post-33738807707603857292012-07-04T06:44:33.625+09:002012-07-04T06:44:33.625+09:00Ah yes. The most recent article that Blew Up the M...Ah yes. The most recent article that Blew Up the Media.<br /><br />I liked it as well, and I felt that some of the response articles missed the freakin' point. I thought the viewpoints from the different generations is really remarkable, and shows just how much things have changed in a relatively short period of time. I've heard people flip from from the "Yes! You can have it all!" camp to the "You can have it all, but not at the same time" camp to the "Nope. Not a snowball's chance" camp. Personally, I think that you can have it all if having it all means an enjoyable, fulfilling way to make income and a stable home life with a great balance between the two . . . if, of course, we are talking about that work-life balance, and not "just" a family (i.e. children) and work balance. These days, I think so many people without children are suffering from the always-at-work camp, and that's not good for us either.<br /><br />As you mentioned, there's a healthy dose of realism here that perhaps your mother can dish out to everyone. If the job you want requires a 60-80 hour workweek, then guess what? Other shit just ain't gonna happen. Feminists have worked hard to make these choices available to women, but they aren't magicians. There are still only 24 (and a quarter) hours in a day. Sometimes, something's gotta give if you want something (in this case, a particular career) badly enough. You should absolutely have the right to go for it, but know what you're getting into. Likewise, if you want to have a brood of eight, or travel six months out of the year, or whatever, by all means! Do it! Just know that you might not be able to take other opportunities as well.<br /><br />Which brings me to the point you made about our generation . . . "Why pursue jobs with reckless ambition if, in the end, they are not going to make us happy? Why would I want to spend so much time away from my family? Looking at women and men who went down that path, do they seem happy? Fulfilled?" We know we have a bazillion options, but which ones are going to make us happy? I think what's tough for me is that I know that I'm not going to take that high-powered career . . . and if it comes to a choice between personal life (kids or not) and work life, my personal life is always going to win out (provided that we have steady income, of course). I do wonder, though, that if other women would make the same choice as I would, if the paths that have been forged for us will become overgrown from disuse. And then I get pissed off because, as you say, this isn't a women/men issue, or, as I see it, a work/mothering issue. (In Slaughter's case, it is, obviously.) For me, in case you haven't mentioned, it's a work/personal issue, that issue of work-life balance that we -- men and women -- just can't seem to get right.Kimberlyhttp://eclpse.livejournal.comnoreply@blogger.com