A pressing issue at the U has opened my eyes to how business decisions impact employees. The University of Iowa is proposing to cut a benefits package that supports many families’ day care expenses. It is proposed to make benefits more equitable and save the university money. There are many reasons that I do not support this cut, but I want to focus on how it may be a step backwards in regard to women in the workforce.

There are many employees at the university that are considered ‘dual spouse,’ where both spouses work for the university. Because they can combine their health benefits, they have left over money that can be used for health spending accounts or dependent care accounts. Many couples with young children use this money to cover the cost of daycare. For those unfamiliar with daycare, its expensive! A couple can easily spend $900 per month on daycare for just 1 child. With the benefits being cut, couples will lose out on most of that money (it is difficult to measure the exact amounts for people because there are many unique circumstances – cost of daycare, amount contributed toward dependent care accounts, amount spent on dental and life insurance, etc).

I want to take a moment to recognize that this is at most a difference of $5000 a year towards daycare that would be lost. That would be under half of the annual cost of daycare if it were $900/month. Thus, couples were still having to pay half a year’s worth of daycare already.

Consider being a new mom though. You have a beautiful new child to care for and have been home for several weeks on maternity leave. It’s close to time to return to work and you just don’t know if you can do it. What motivation do you have? With the current benefits package, you have 6 months of daycare paid for! Alright, you can go to work knowing that the university appreciates how much you are giving up by not being home with your child. Then consider the new benefits, you will be paying $900 each month to go spend time with people you don’t love as much as your child. Is it as easy to make that choice?

The proposed benefits cuts do not target working mothers. In fact, it targets giving more money to single mothers. But are there other (unintentional) effects getting lost in the rush to get this signed by July 1? Are we sacrificing one set of mothers for another?

There is an article in Newsweek by Sascha Radetsky, famed American Ballet Theatre dancer, called “Don’t Judge Me By My Tights.” He writes about the stigmas towards male dancers. I’ll say that I had my fair share of taunts about being a ballerina, but nothing compared to him. Nobody ever beat me up over it. It’s a really well written article. Please read it! A brief summary:

It’s frustrating that I feel obliged to extol the virtues and describe the rigors of my profession. I’d just like to make it known that the path of the male dancer isn’t necessarily easy—as with any truly worthwhile endeavor—but the rewards can be limitless. I feel lucky to have discovered a vocation that has allowed me to glimpse the great depth of human potential, both physical and mental, and has given me the opportunity to bring joy to so many people in so many places. I feel there is honor in the arts, in the world of dance, in the realm of male ballet dancing.

By the way, you might remember him from the movie Center Stage (if you saw it). He was Charlie.

Thanks to Dan and Shane for sending me, “Sorry, Boys, This Is Our Domain,” an article about girls and boys creating content on the internet. To quote:

Indeed, a study published in December by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that among Web users ages 12 to 17, significantly more girls than boys blog (35 percent of girls compared with 20 percent of boys) and create or work on their own Web pages (32 percent of girls compared with 22 percent of boys).

Girls are getting out there and publishing content (much like this site) more than boys. Does this negate the research that I did last fall? Not at all; it supports it in fact:

In American high schools, girls comprised fewer than 15 percent of students who took the AP computer science exam in 2006, and there was a 70 percent decline in the number of incoming undergraduate women choosing to major in computer science from 2000 to 2005, according to the National Center for Women & Information Technology.

Girls are finding their way onto the internet and producing loads of content, but that doesn’t make them scientifically minded. As the article points out, girls are following the same trends in hobbies and interests just in a new medium.

It’s a good read; thanks guys for the link!

A List Apart did a really interesting survey last spring for people working in the web design field. They recently released the results in an 82 page document. It’s great read if you get the chance. It was the first survey of its kind and so we’re learning things that we were always guessing at before.

What I found particularly interesting was the percentage of women in the field. Astonishingly, women only made up 16.1% of the respondents. I really thought it would be higher than that and I wanted to figure out what the trend was. Because they have the raw data (minus personal info) available for download, I was able to work with the data and get a breakdown of what is happening in the field. I was even more surprised to find, that the number of women is likely decreasing. I did this by looking at the percentage of women in each age group. Here are my results:

Under 21: 6% Female, 93% Male
21-24: 12% Female, 88% Male
25-32: 14% Female, 86% Male
33-38: 18% Female, 81% Male
39-50: 28% Female, 71% Male
51-60: 42% Female, 57% Male
Over 60: 39% Female, 60% Male

Is there some perfectly legitimate reason for this that I’m missing? I’m trying to think of ways to explain this data and I just can’t. Women in the web design field are slowly decreasing. That makes me a little sad, but also proud of myself for sticking with it.

Note: web design field is used loosely here. They weren’t just looking at a specific job, but broadly at all peoples involved with all the different parts of web sites (development, usability, accessibility, design, editing, etc).

I’m so glad this will never be me!

(Housekeeping Monthly. May 13, 1955)

*Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

*Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

*Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

*Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

*Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc. and then run a dust cloth over the tables.

*Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

*Prepare the children. take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (it they are small), comb their hair and , if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, or vacuum.

*Be happy to see him.

*Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

*Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first – remember, his topics or conversation are more important than yours.

*Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

*Your goal: try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order, and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

*Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.

*Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

*Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

*Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

*Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

*A good wife always knows her place.