Where are the part-time professional jobs for Mommies?

Ah, that’s a trick question, because, for the most part, they don’t exist. At least not in a way that compensates women fairly and allows them to continue growing their careers.

The New York Times Select has a fantastic op-ed by Judith Warner today exploring this sad truth. No surprise to hear that the Europeans are ahead of Americans on this social issue:

In Europe, significant steps have been made to make part-time work a livable reality for those who seek it. Denying fair pay and benefits to part-time workers is now illegal. Parents in Sweden have the right to work a six-hour day at prorated pay until their children turn 8 years old. Similar legislation helps working parents in France, Austria, and Belgium and any employee in Germany and the Netherlands who wants to cut back.

I especially like Warner’s observation that “the American model of work-it-out-for-yourself employment is Darwinian.” As I noted in my blog about my part-time work experience, success in negotiating a part-time position is, largely, dependent on your luck at having a child when you are already well-established in a workplace with sympathetic managers. How many women can pull that off?

And even this “ideal” arrangement has its drawbacks, as Warner notes:

None of this creates a perfect world. Feminists have long been leery of part-time work policies, which tend to be disproportionately used by women, mommy-tracking them and placing them at an economic disadvantage within their marriages and in society.

Warner reports that Senator Edward Kennedy and Representative Carolyn Maloney are trying to build consensus for draft legislation that would at least give (all) workers “the right” to request flexible work schedules, but with no obligation for employers to honor that request. It doesn't seem like much, but I suppose it's more than what exists now, when many people are probably afraid to even ask.

Here’s the inside link to Warner’s full op-ed. Well worth the read.

Newborn Clipboard

In my entry Newborn Survival Tips, I mentioned creating a chart to keep track of feedings and diaper changes in those first hectic weeks. Here’s a picture of the one we used for our daughters, conveniently hung by ribbon from a peg rack next to the changing table. I always had a vision of covering the bland office-supply clipboard in vintage floral wallpaper or painting it white. Alas, such niceties get lost when you are sleeping in 90-minute increments.

Husband Calling

Image from Flickr

Sometimes the smartest ideas are the simplest. Consider listing your spouse as “Husband (Name)” in your cell phone contacts, so that someone knows whom to call immediately if you lose your phone or if there’s an emergency.

My friend Lisa’s husband Jeff recently left his cell phone at a restaurant, and was reunited with it because he had listed her as “Wifey” in his contacts. She showed up in his recently dialed numbers, so the restaurant called her right away.

You could do the same with Mom & Dad, siblings, or important medical contacts (i.e. “Ob Gyn” or “Pediatrician,” rather than “Dr. Miller.”)

Pin-Up Girl

We just wrapped up a project that started 13 years ago in a thrift shop, when I bought three substantial black wooden frames for $5, thinking, "I can find a use for these." I guess you could say it took awhile for inspiration to strike, but it was worth the wait. With a fresh coat of spring green paint, the frames now hang in Ana's room as charming fabric-covered bulletin boards.

The project wasn't hard to do. The trickiest part was getting the boards that fit into the frames cut to size, since Home Depot's lumber department isn't equipped to do "precision cutting." Martha Stewart's instructions suggest using Homasote board as the base, with no cork covering, but no home improvement store I called had ever heard of it, so we went with hardboard. MDF or plywood would also work.

Back of the bulletin board

I covered my boards with a layer of rolled cork (available at Michael's) on both sides to give them enough depth for the staple-gun staples I used to attach the fabric. I found that using Elmer's Craft Bond Spray Adhesive was much more effective for attaching the cork than a glue gun. Then I wrapped them in fabric (with no adhesive) which we stapled from the back, being careful to hold the fabric taut.


After laying the covered boards into the frames, we attached them to the frames using wood joiners (see the picture above -- they are like metal bars with prongs on each end), added some hardware and a wire to hang them, and voila!

Veggie Booty Recall

Veggie Booty is being recalled due to concerns it may be connected with more than 51 cases of salmonella poisoning in 17 states. Here's the FDA press release and the story from MSNBC.