The Mama PhD gals have started their blogging over at Inside Higher Ed–and what interesting timing. Turns out two new studies suggest that academe may hinder parenthood, and that as a result many female academics may be opting not to have kids. Watch for the Mama PhD anthology in July.

I’m taking off for the weekend soon and before I go, I wanted to leave you with the new video from the Women’s Media Center. Do check it out. It’s well done. I particularly like the creepy music and the sassy quotes interlaid with the medley of media clips.

Says Carol Jenkins,

“As our new video shows, the media’s sexism is not specific to a candidate or campaign. But the presence of a woman, front and center on the national political stage, has sent shockwaves through a media grappling with ongoing problems of diversity. Hillary Clinton’s campaign has cast a spotlight on the institutionalized sexism that The Women’s Media Center was founded in 2005 to combat, providing us with a unique moment to examine ourselves and the media we consume.”

Nice, WMC!

University of Iowa journalism professor M. Gigi Durham has a debut book out called The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About It. And it’s about time. If I see one more ad for Beyonce’s clothing line featuring tarted up toddlers working it, I’m going to scream.

Here’s word on the book from Publisher’s Weekly:

We’ve all seen it–the tiny T-shirts with sexually suggestive slogans, the four-year-old gyrating to a Britney Spears song, the young boy shooting prostitutes in his video game–and…Durham has had enough. In her debut book, she argues that the media–from advertisements to Seventeen magazine–are circulating damaging myths that distort, undermine and restrict girls’ sexual progress. Durham, who describes herself as “pro-girl” and “pro-media,” does more than criticize profit-driven media, recognizing as part of the problem Americans’ contradictory willingness to view sexualized ad images but not to talk about sex. Chapters expose five media myths: that by flaunting her “hotness” a little girl is acting powerfully; that Barbie has the ideal body; that children–especially little girls–are sexy; that violence against women is sexy; and that girls must learn what boys want, but not vice versa. After debunking each myth, Durham offers practical suggestions for overcoming these falsehoods, including sample questions for parents and children. In a well-written and well-researched book, she exposes a troubling phenomenon and calls readers to action.

May this book–and its message–travel far and wide. For Salon’s review, click here.

Interesting exchange going on over at feministing about a Glamocracy post by Fernanda Diaz arguing that Hillary has “ruined it” for future female politicians by being “unfeminine.” As my friends at Catalyst have said and shown again and again, a woman leader is damned if she does and doomed if she don’t. It’s dispiriting to me to hear the aggressive = unfeminine argument coming from a next-generation younger woman. I mean, unreconstructed/threatened men, sure. But I just hate it how women ourselves can sometimes be our own worst enemy. You know?

Girls Write Now, my #1 favorite organization to get girls writing, is holding its Spring Reading at the Tribeca Barnes and Noble on June 8. Join me there? For more on what this amazing org is up to, check out their spring newsletter. (And if you share my love for this org and are feeling generous, donate here!)

I’m feeling rather proud this morning. I figured out how to upload a pdf to my blog. Small potatoes, perhaps, but I’m stoked. Here it is:

In case you missed the article by Tamar Lewin in this weekend’s NYTimes, here’s the newsflash: Girls’ Gains Have Not Cost Boys. It’s amazing to me that we need a report to prove this. But kudos to the researchers over at the American Association of University Women who pulled it together. Maybe now the boy-crisis warriors can finally cool down.

In 1992, you may recall, the AAUW released a landmark report on how girls are shortchanged in the classroom, causing a national debate over gender equity. Then came the Christina Hoff Sommers of the world, arguing that efforts to help girls have come at boys’ expense. Echoing research released two years ago by the American Council on Education and other groups, the new report says that while girls have for years graduated from high school and college at a higher rate than boys, the largest disparities in educational achievement are not between boys and girls, but between those of different races, ethnicities and income levels.

The AAUW report looks at many indicators of educational achievement, including dropout and disciplinary rates. It analyzes data from SAT and ACT college entrance exams and the National Assessment of Education Progress, known as the nation’s report card, as well as federal statistics about college attendance, earned degrees and other measures of achievement. Researchers concluded that:

— A literacy gap in favor of girls is not new, nor is it increasing. Over the past three decades, the reading gap favoring girls on NAEP has narrowed or stayed the same. Nine-year-old boys scored higher than ever on the reading assessment in 2004; scores for 13- and 17-year-old boys were higher or not much different from scores in the 1970s. A gender gap still exists favoring boys in math, especially among 17-year-olds on the NAEP.
— The percentages of students scoring at higher levels of proficiency on the NAEP are rising for both boys and girls.
— Students from lower-income families — families with incomes of $37,000 or less — are less likely to be proficient in math and reading. Gender differences vary significantly by race and ethnicity.
— There is virtually no gap between boys and girls entering college immediately after high school.

AAUW’s study does show female students outperforming male students in some measures. Women have earned 57 percent of bachelor’s degrees since 1982 and outperformed boys on high school grade-point averages. In 2005, male students had a GPA of 2.86 and girls, 3.09.

From 1978 to 2004, among students age 13 and 17, white males scored higher on average than white females on 10 of 18 tests. For Hispanic students, 13- and 17-year-old males outscored females on three of the 18 tests. There was no gap among African American girls and boys.

Check out coverage in the Washington Post as well (No Crisis For Boys In Schools, Study Says: Academic Success Linked to Income).

Yes, boys are in trouble. But up with girls does not mean down with boys. Copy that? Let’s hope this new study might put that silly argument to rest.

A quick-hit report on women’s leadership around the globe. Read it…and weep?

She Just Might Be President Someday
5/18/08 – NY Times: A specific composite of Madam President is suggested by political strategists and talent scouts, politicians and those who study women in politics. It is based as much on the lessons of the Clinton candidacy as on the enduring truths of politics and the number and variety of women who dot the leadership landscape.

Belittled Woman
5/16/08 – Washington Post: At some point along the way, Hillary Clinton became “poor Hillary” and it stuck.

Defense Minister’s New Baby Confirms Symbolism Of Parity In Spain
5/21/08 – International Herald Tribune: Carmé Chacón, who began leave Tuesday after giving birth to a boy, became an instant symbol of the Socialist government’s commitment to gender parity in Spain, a traditionally macho society whose new equality laws are among the most progressive in Europe.

Sierra Leone: Can Women Make a Difference in the Local Government?
5/20/08 – AllAfrica.com: As the July 5 Sierra Leone local council elections are drawing nearer, a low turn out of women to contest the elections has been observed.

First Aussie Female Bishop ‘A Milestone’
5/21/08 – Sydney Morning Herald: The consecration of Australia’s first woman Bishop in Perth on Thursday has been hailed as a major step in overcoming discrimination against women.

Calling all ye changemakers with an idea, an organization, a project, a book, a brand—but no interactive web presence! If this describes you, please read on.

Traveling around, I’ve observed that far too often, otherwise visionary female thinkers can overlook an essential aspect of their work: getting it online and building a virtual community around it. Sometimes the obstacles are generational. Other times, it’s a matter of Technology Overwhelm. But getting more of you to embrace the digital tools that will help you think in public is a mission I feel passionately about. (You can read more about my philosophy and approach at the New York Times, the Women’s Media Center, and in On Campus with Women.)

And so, the consulting team over here at GWP has decided to get concrete by offering some online platform consulting. Here’s the deal: In tailored individual or small group sessions, Girl w/ Pen Consulting demystifies the elements that go into creating a successful individual or organizational presence online. The ideal client for this kind of coaching is a thought leader, author, advocate, philanthropist, or social entrepreneur who is ready to migrate her real-world activities online, expand her reach, connect more directly with a broader audience, and is hungry for hands-on training. Sessions can take place one-on-one or in small groups, depending on clients’ needs.

In today’s crowded marketplace of ideas, an “online platform” is no longer an add-on. It’s a necessity, both virtual and real. Ready to join me?! For more info about how this coaching works, please feel free to email me at girlwpen@gmail.com and I’ll tell you more.

(image cred)

According to the Families and Work Institute’s 2008 National Study of Employers, employers with more ethnic and racial minorities in top and senior level positions–and nonprofits organizations–are more likely to offer flexible workplaces, caregiving leaves, child and elder care assistance, and health care/economic security benefits.

This national study of employers with 50 or more employees is the largest and most comprehensive study of the programs, policies, and benefits designed to respond to the changing workforce. The report includes this interesting tidbit related to the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA): 22% of employers offer more than the 12 weeks of mandated maternity leave, yet 18 to 21% of all employers surveyed appear to be out of compliance with FMLA.

For more, you can download the report at www.familiesandwork.org.