Sunday News Update: October 17, 2014
Welcome to Brain, Child’s Sunday policy update where we look at issues impacting women and children with Valerie Young, Public Policy Analyst for Mom-mentum.
It’s been a wild week, what with one thing and another. Between putting ourselves in a Zen state to get a raise and freezing our eggs so we can work now and mother later, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. Let’s see if we can make sense of the madness the media inflicted upon mothers since last weekend.
Some women’s magazines are reaching beyond sex and makeup into politics and motherhood. The editor of Cosmopolitan told NPR this week that the decision to become a mother is the biggest economic decision a woman will ever make. Glamour‘s top lady went on TV to talk about women in the elections and why younger women need to run before their children are grown and flown.
Immigration lawyer Staci Zaretsky asked an judge in Atlanta to reschedule a court date due to her maternity leave. He refused, so she appeared as scheduled, with her 4 week old baby strapped to her chest. He hit the roof. She filed an official complaint. This story is all over my screen, from Think Progress, Above the Law, and ABCNews. As you make up your mind, I offer this observation – when I was a practicing lawyer, judges routinely worked around counsels’ scheduling conflicts, vacation plans, and visitation with our non-custodial children. Does the definition of “just cause” extend to keeping an infant alive?
Here’s a great piece from Women’s eNews about how the “boss lottery” can make you or break you as a working mother – and I’m even quoted in it!
Before signing off, remember it’s just two weeks until election day. Get registered, get ready, and rock the vote. I’m turning out for moms!! You?
Follow Valerie on Facebook at Your (Wo)Man in Washington, and on Twitter @WomanInDC
