blog 8

Lisa Belkin's "The Opt-Out Revolution"

Belkin's essay describes how successful women are putting their prestigious careers (doctors, lawyer, advertisement executives) to a close in order to raise their families. One response to Belkin's article is Katie Allison Granju who protests Belkin and her admittedly narrow interview group who are college-educated, married, professional, white women who love their kids, their husbands, their wine-sipping book discussion groups, and the comfortable homes they are making for their families. I thought it was interesting as Granju goes on to critique Belkin. "Her interview subjects may believe that they have “opted out,” the reality is likely to be much less clear cut for them as their children grow and many of their marriages end. Ten years from now, I suspect that we may be hearing from a new group of suddenly single, 50 year old, college-educated women who haven’t held a paying job in a decade about a new and fascinating trend: the “I-was-only-kidding-and-I-really-need-to-opt-back-in Revolution."

It is disheartening after reading Belkin's article. Women, indeed have come a long way in regards to obtaining M.B.A.s and obtaining leadership positions, but it seems this is only temporary if a woman wants to have babies and start a family. Growing up my mother was a nurse but stayed at home for ten years or so to raise my brother and I. When I was in high school she tried to go back to work but found it incredibly difficult (even with the growing need for nurses) because of new technology and new computer advances over the past ten years my mother was not familiar with. This was also the case with my friend Kami. She graduated from OU with a microbiology degree and was immediately hired as a lab technician. Her career was rapidly put on hold when she got pregnant. After her baby Emma was born she decided to work part time as a ACT/SAT prep tutor. It's frustrating to know how women such as my mom and my friend Kami found it difficult to carry on their former work/dream jobs in order to accomodate their families. This appears to be inevitable if you want to have a successful marriage and raise your kids. Me personally, I wouldn't want to continue my Monday through Friday 8-5 job and leave my baby with a nanny or a mediocre day care. Having children is very important to me and I wouldn't want to leave my child in people's care whom I hardly know. It seems crucial to hit the stopwatch for a few years with the career in order to be a good mom.