After reading Anne-Marie Slaughter's article titled, Why Women Still Can't Have It All, I realize that I believe that no one, whether they are a woman or man, can have it all. It is just not possible. Those that think they do have it all better be thankful, because many people are striving for it and falling short. Slaughter brings up many great points on why women cannot have it all. I do not think that this only applies to women, but I think it pertains to men as well. Women are often seen as the ones of the family that take care of the household items including meals and cleaning, while also being the child-care giver. In addition to those items, today women are often pursuing jobs outside the home. It is getting more and more difficult for women to balance everything they want to be able to do. This is what Slaughter touches on in her article, Why Women Still Can't Have it All.
What I believe it comes down to in today's world is that women need to be able to balance everything in their lives and they need to be able to balance it well. Slaughter's article made me realize that women are constantly getting bombarded with more and more responsibilities. They are still seen as the one who is to take care of the children, take care of the household items, and be the social center for the family. On top of that, women are now more likely wanting to pursue their career. They are searching for work outside the home. They are not just looking for any type of work, but they are looking for higher paying jobs. They want to reach their full potential, not only at home but also in the workplace.
This requires an extreme talent for balancing. Slaughter had a prime personal example of this balance. She displayed her battle to balance her struggling family while still being able to carry out her dream job. When she picked apart her problems she found that she was not able to balance those two items. She realized that she needed to prioritize. She decided what was important to her and took items from there. She is now happy with her decision to step down from her dream job and found that she has been able to prosper from other items in her life, like the happiness of her family.
That example from Slaughter is what made me come to the conclusion that to be able to "have it all" you need to be able to balance items perfectly. Many people are striving to reach this perfect balance and in the midst of it are finding that they need to prioritze. By prioritizing your interests and needs, you will find what works for you and what does not. I do not mean to tell you to give up on your dreams; but rather, be realistic and balance by prioritizing.
Libby,
ReplyDeleteI think you hit on one of the key points that was stated in the article that there must be balance. I think that this balance applies to both women and men, but women feel the need for it more often than not.
Women like you mentioned are still seen as the main caregiver of the family and are now working mothers as well. So they must achieve this balance between the two, or like Anne had to do, prioritize and step down from the job she loved to be with her family.
Men I feel though are not as impacted by this balance because they are still seen as the breadwinner of the family. So if their job takes presidence over the family it's not seen as bad, like it would be if a woman was doing the same thing.
Christina