Women & Work

http://www.slate.com/id/2274736/
Going Dutch



Women in the Netherlands work less, have lesser titles and a big gender pay gap, and they love it.

This article addresses something I think about sometimes...how women in the US struggled for equality in the workplace, but ended up working full time on top of all the same duties in the home.  I am waiting for 5:00 so I can pick up Austin and work on dinner and I am jealous of part-time workers who have the time and freedom to cut back on hours on the job and balance life the way they determine it should be balanced.
 
(Note: I am not complaining about my job, or my pay check.  I realize that I decided to work and I could just as easily decide not to.)  This is not a whiney post.
 
Here is an excerpt from the article that says what I'm thinking:
Women in the United States have become defined by the compromises we make. More than 75 percent of American women work full-time jobs. As our responsibilities increase at work, they do not shrink at home. We give up time with our families for our careers, and after work we give up other interests for time spent with our children and spouses—because there are only so many hours in a day. Because of part-time work, Dutch women are able to develop themselves and their relationships in ways many of us simply don't have the time for.


In the end, the article makes the point that American women tend to strive for perfection, which is a hefty solid wall that I run myself into quite regularly, usually with nasty consequences.  Maybe this is a better way.  What if we did "go Dutch"?