The Harvard Crimson‘s magazine, FM, published a fascinating article, “Can Harvard Women Have It All?,” applying the question posed by Ann-Marie Slaughter in her 2012 Atlantic article to Harvard Women specifically. Both Slaughter’s veritable tome and FM‘s piece deserve to be read in full. Below are a few things I found interesting about the Crimson article. … Read more
Stephanie Schriock knows what she’s doing. She stands at the helm of the pro-choice Democratic women’s political action committee, EMILY’s List, as Washington gets set to welcome a historic number of women into its fold. EMILY’s List has grown substantially in size and influence in the last several years, and hearing their president’s measured but … Read more
Seven HPR writers discuss and critique Anne-Marie Slaughter’s article, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All”
“Women can’t have it all.” “It’s impossible to have both a good family relationship, watch your children grow and be at the top of your career.” “We’re not hindered by men, just by our motherly instincts.” Pretty straight-forward. Anne-Marie Slaughter finally dared to speak the truth, and say what women around the world were too afraid to say. And … Read more
Anne-Marie Slaughter’s article paints a bleak portrait of the situation facing women trying to “have it all.” This is frustrating for a variety of reasons: both because it seems unjust, and because everything we know about leadership and group decision-making indicates that diversity of perspectives increases productivity, and that diverse social and work environments increase … Read more
Ann-Marie Slaughter’s article, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” targets a highly privileged demographic. The people she discusses are, as described, “highly educated, well-off women who are privileged enough to have choices in the first place.” These women have everything in grasp – the dream job and fairytale family – yet are denied the time … Read more
The question, when asking if women can “have it all”, is not about women’s ability to succeed but about the societal and cultural barriers to that success. Women have surpassed men in gaining bachelor’s and advanced degrees, and there are examples (though at times few in number) of successful women and mothers in the upper … Read more
As women gain more and more equality in the workplace and at home, the question of whether they can truly “have it all” naturally arises. The short answer is no; women can not “have it all” in the sense that they want. No person has the time to be the perfect mother/homemaker while also being … Read more
Anne-Marie Slaughter is long—very long—on the problems facing upwardly mobile female professionals. Rightfully so. But she is short—very short—on solutions to these problems. Slaughter thinks we need more female politicians and leaders, tout court. She offers nothing more specific. No explicit policies. Slaughter’s proposal, I think, comes off as rather empty. Meanwhile, she completely ignores … Read more
The question is not “Can women have it all?” Of course a woman “can” have a successful career and family. There will always be anomalies like Hilary Clinton, Sheryl Samberg, etc. A woman can have it all, given that she prioritizes, makes personal sacrifices, and is up for an exhausting, nonstop juggling act. A better question is “Do … Read more