The Feminine Mistake - Should Women Sacrifice Careers for Family?

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/fora/showthread.php?t=983

Author and Vanity Fair Contributing Editor Leslie Bennetts discusses the origins of her book, "The Feminine Mistake," and examines difficulties faced by women who quit their careers to become stay-at-home mothers.

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Leslie Bennetts talks about "The Feminine Mistake: Are We Giving Up Too Much?"

Renowned Vanity Fair journalist Bennetts rekindles the debate over women's life choices with a new book that redefines the work-family question. She offers a persuasive argument that women can - and should - make more than one kind of mark on the world. - Book Passage

Leslie Bennetts has been a contributing editor at Vanity Fair since 1988, writing on subjects that have ranged from movie stars to priest pedophilia, industrial pollution and U.S. anti-terrorism policy.

Her 2005 cover story on Jennifer Aniston was the best-selling issue in the magazine's history to date, and the People magazine cover story about Bennetts' interview with Aniston was the best-selling issue in the history of People.

Prior to joining Vanity Fair, Bennetts spent fifteen years as a newspaper reporter. She started covering so-called "women's issues" at The Philadelphia Bulletin in the early 1970's, and has continued to write about women, marriage, families and parenting ever since.

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News & Politics

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• careers
• mothers
• kids
• children
• homemakers
• girls
• education
• marriage
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• feminist
• feminism
• mistake
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[ihateino44]

Time with the kids is great but another nice thing is not having to fit the stereo-type of the stay at home mom. People should be able to chose if they want to work or not. Being forced into either is wrong.

[vanillapie]

I wonder what all these SAHMs will do when their husbands die or divorce them? Who is going take care of them?

There are enormous consequences when a woman refuses to work.

[sugrandspyce]

The roles of men & women have worked long before we cam along, if it aint broke, don't fix it! I just do not understand why a Mother would choose to work if they have the chance to stay at home or at least work from home while their children are young. We are women, we are mothers built by the hands of God to nurture & nurse our babies...not be in the board room giving in to our own selfish desires of the materialistic world we live in!

[sugrandspyce]

In my opinion, if u are not willing to be a full time Mom you are doing a dis-service to your child...why even have children if you have to pay someone else to raise them?!

[TENNSUMITSUMA]

@vanillapie

considering women initiate about 70% of divorce, i dont see why they should be the ones worrying about the men divorcing them.

[itubeyoublah]

only in the last 30-40 years have women abandoned their families...either because of the lure of career, or begrudgingly because women (sheep) generally follow what other women do...oh, did I mention all this is made possible by contraception...the destruction of women, children and families

[KumarZimmerman08]

Europeans are facing extinction because they chose a career over families.

[ajobimlover]

I think the mentality that work is more important/fulfilling than having a family is sad... the children should come first-- that may very well mean staying at home to care for them

[ladyEulaelie]

I know my opinions are not popular and I will probably get slammed...but so be it. I'm going off my experiences and my observations of others. Peace.

[ladyEulaelie]

Let's be balanced. If a woman refuses to plan for a life of singleness, no kids or the event that her husband dies, she runs a great chance of not being able to proficiently provide for her and her kids. If a married woman works & comes home to a husband, in apron who just made brownies and chases kids all day, more than likely, somewhere along the way, she will lose respect for the sexy, dominate, powerful man she married. It just doesn't workout. Gender roles aren't broken so don't fix them.

[ladyEulaelie]

My mother did it, but I refuse. I will finish my education & go into my career of choice, b/c I have to support myself as an individual but when I marry & have kids, I will stay home, not b/c of any ridiculous stereotypes; I'm a woman of color....I'm used to stereotypes, but b/c I feel my kids should be my PRIMARY obligation. I have to live my life being the best I can be and I won't forsake being the best mother I can be for the sake of being the best Nurse, doctor, lawyer, etc I can be.

[gmbrdiloss]

FIrst lady, yur fat and ugly. Secondly, there is no universal answer to whether or not a woman should work - it is their choice and it Should and Must be their personal choice. If women are deprived of choosing from the two, then its the same as not allowing the woman to work