A dramatic growth in dual wage-earning families and the restructuring of the American workplace has elevated child-care concerns onto a societal stage, involving men and women policy-makers, business representatives and unionists. Yet there is tremendous resistance to a universal child-care policy in the United States, causing our country to lag far behind other industrialized countries, according to Betty Friedan, who is now a distinguished visiting professor at Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations as well as the director of New Paradigm Project at Cornell's Institute for Women and Work. To what extent does cultural difference play a role in inhibiting acceptance of such policies, Friedan asks, and are there any realistic solutions to this paradox?
The childbearing years are the most retrogressive for women's advancement in the United States, according to Friedan, particularly in terms of wage increases and promotions. Given the demographic and workplace trends, a rethinking of gender equality that goes beyond just "catching up" with men is in order.
Friedan heads a panel of experts discussing these and other issues. The symposium, titled "Unlocking the Closed Door Policy of U.S. Child Care: A Universal vs. Mother-Centered Approach," will take place Dec. 1 at the Carnegie Endowment Center for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C., from 6 to 8 p.m. In addition to Friedan, the event features these participants and others:
The event is sponsored by the Ford Foundation, the Institute for Women and Work at Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and the Feminism and Legal Theory Project of Cornell Law School. It is the second in the 1999-2000 series of New Paradigm symposia, which bring together corporate, labor, academic and women's movement leaders. The event is free and open to the public, but advance reservations are encouraged. For information and to register, contact Wei Chen at (212) 340-2895 or by e-mail at wc771@cornell.edu.
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