Wireless pending, I’m going to try to live blog from the opening plenary of NCRW’s conference today. More soon!
Two of my favorite 23-year-old bloggers, artist/photographer Emma Bernstein and writer Nona Willis-Aronowitz, have made some major changes to their blog of late, and I love what they’ve done with the place. Check it all out, over at GIRLdrive. Here’s what I like about this blog:
It’s a platform for their forthcoming book from Seal.
Their blog’s tagline, “roadtripping america, mapping out feminism,” is a great example of a tagline that nails it.
Their “Mid-Week Memo” feature covers timely topics and interesting projects they’re involved in around issues like women and the arts, mentoring teenage girls, intergenerational conversations, and other juicy tidbits from the feminist frontier.
The press their project has generated.
And, of course, the fact that they profiled my dear friend in Wyoming, Shelby.
Do visit them over at GIRLdrive and see for yourself.
More this morning on last week’s AdAge article by Beth Snyder Bulik, about a new study showing how “mainstream” blogging is now among women. The study was based on surveys of two sample groups which together included several thousand respondents: one composed of participants in the BlogHer community and the other of online women selected to represent the general population of U.S. women. Demographically, BlogHer users are fairly similar to average online women, although they skew much higher in the 25- to 41-year-old Gen X range, with 68% of the BlogHer users in that age range vs. 42% of overall women.
Writes Bulik,
“Blogosphere” may not be a pretty name for it, but it is a pretty attractive destination — for women at least, and maybe for marketers courting them, too. According to a recent study by BlogHer and Compass Partners, more than one-third (35%) of all women in the U.S. aged 18 to 75 participate in the blogosphere at least once a week. And that number increases if less-frequent visits are factored in. Of those women who are online any amount of time, 53% read blogs, 37% post comments to blogs and 28% write or update blogs, according to the study.
Other tidbits of interest from the study:
-Of the general population of online women who write blogs, 58% post entries at least weekly — and of those who read blogs, 80% do so at least weekly.
-Most women who blog do so for fun (65%); to express themselves (60%); to connect with others (40%); as a personal diary (34%); and to give advice or educate (26%).
-Women read blogs for fun (46%); to get information (41%); stay up to date on family and friends (36%); stay up to date on specific topics (34%); connect with others (28%); and entertainment (26%).
-Some 24% of the women overall watch less TV, as do 43% of BlogHer users; another 25% and 22% of the general consumers read fewer magazines and newspapers, respectively, as do 31% in each category of BlogHer users.
Is this a specialized population that applies to early adapters, or is this study a harbinger of what’s generally to come?
The full report is available for download from Blogher’s site, here.
Ok, I’m in ridiculously good company this weekend. Don’t miss out on the year’s premiere conference for researchers, policy analysts, gender thinkers, women leaders, and activists. The opening plenary this Thursday (4-5:45pm) is free and open to the public:
Stir it Up: Women’s Activism Reframing Political Debates
The possibility of a woman or an African-American presidential candidate has galvanized voters and moved citizens to become more actively engaged in the political process. It has also provided real opportunities to place women’s issues and concerns on the national agenda. Join leading experts, thought leaders, and advocates as they discuss how issues need to be framed so they influence political debates at local, state, and national levels, and strategies for ensuring that women’s voices are heard and their votes counted in the upcoming election.
Featured Speakers:
Ruth Mandel, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University (Moderator)
Kathy Bonk, Communications Consortium Media Center
Kim Gandy, National Organization for Women
Barbara Lee, Barbara Lee Family Foundation
Diana Salas, Women of Color Policy Network at NYU
Marie Wilson, The White House Project
And here’s the list of the rest of the speakers at the conference:
Mimi Abramovitz, Hunter College
Liz Abzug, The Bella Abzug Leadership Institute
Amy Allina, National Women’s Health Network
Patricia Antoniello, Brooklyn College
Veronica I. Arreola, University of Illinois at Chicago
Margaret Bailey, Rochester Institute of Technology
Subha Barry, Merrill Lynch
Linda Basch, National Council for Research on Women
Kathleen Barnett, ICRW
Julia Beatty, Twenty-First Century Foundation
Kathleen Barnett, International Center for Research on Women
Taina Bien-Aime, Equality Now
Elodie Billionniere, Arizona State University
Lynn Bolles, University of Maryland, College Park
Kathy Bonk, Communications Consortium Media Center
Kristin “KB” Bowman, Columbia College
Vicki Breitbart, Planned Parenthood of New York
Jaweer Brown, Planned Parenthood of New York
Connie Buchanan, Consultant (formerly with the Ford Foundation)
Victoria Budson, Harvard University
Charlotte Bunch, Rutgers University
Tamara L. Burk, Center for Engaged Learning
Johnella Butler, Spelman College
Kathryn Peltier Campbell, Association of American Colleges and Universities
Hope Campbell, Anti-Violence Project, New York
Timothy Casey, Legal Momentum
Amanda Cassel, Women’s Foundation of California
Lybra Clemons, American Express
Ellen Chesler, Hunter College
Carol Cohn, Boston Consortium on Gender, Security, and Human Rights
Elizabeth Colton, International Museum of Women
Aimee Meredith Cox, University of Michigan
Kimberle Crenshaw, Columbia University
Jane Daniels, Luce Foundation
Anisha Desai, Women of Color Resource Center
Brittany Denitzio, College of New Jersey
Patricia Deyton, Simmons School of Management
Bonnie Dill, University of Maryland
Catherine Dixon-Kheir, Alignment Strategies
Sharon Doherty, The College of St. Catherine
Stephanie L. Drahan, University of Massachusetts
Ana Duarte McCarthy, Citigroup
Rosanna Durruthy, Aequus Group
Kirsten A. Elling, University of Michigan
Patricia Eng, Ms. Foundation for Women
Joan Entmacher, National Women’s Law Center
Jessica Fields, San Francisco State University
Michelle Fine, CUNY Graduate Center
Susan Forde, University of South Florida
Gisela Fosado, Barnard Center for Research on Women
Andrea D. Friedman, Global Justice Center
Ellen Friedman, College of New Jersey
Stacie Geller, University of Illinois, Chicago
Paula J. Giddings, Author Ida: A Sword Among Lions
Lilyane Glamben, The Sister Fund
Sangita Gopal, University of Oregon
Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice
Cheryl D. Gray, The College of New Jersey
Autumn Green, Family Economic Initiative, Boston
Michele Rene Gregory, York College of the City University of New York
Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Spelman College
Connie Sutton, NYU
Carol Hardy-Fanta, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Bill Harvey, University of Virginia
Katherine Henderson, Texas A&M University
Rita Henley Jensen, Women’s eNews
Silvia Henriquez, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice
Rebekah Heppner, University of South Florida
Ines Hernandez-Avila, University of California at Davis
Lyndi Hewitt, Vanderbilt University
Sarah F. Hill, The Human Rights Initiative of North Texas, Inc
Mary Hopps, The College of New Jersey
Eleanor Horne, Educational Testing Service
Evelyn Hu-deHart, Brown University
Hae Ja Shin, Dongseo University
Janet Jakobsen, Barnard College
Annalisa Jenkins, Bristol-Myers Squibb
Carol Jenkins, Women’s Media Center
Cheryl Johnson, Miami University of Ohio
Heather Johnston Nicholson, Girls Inc.
Kate Kahan, National Partnership for Women and Families
Erika Kates, Wellesley College
Don Kulick, New York University
Helen LaKelly Hunt, The Sister Fund
Barbara Lee, The Barbara Lee Family Foundation
Tobe Levin, University of Frankfurt
Janet E. Malley, University of Michigan
Ruth Mandel, Rutgers University
Courtney Martin, feministing.com
C. Nicole Mason, National Council for Research on Women
Lisa McClain, Boise State University
Kathleen McHugh, University of California, Los Angles
Caryn McTighe Musil, Association of American Colleges and Universities
Monique Mehta, Third Wave Foundation
Soraya Mekerta, Spelman College
Elaine Meyer-Lee, Saint Mary’s College
Shari Miles-Cohen, American Psychological Association
Yuriko Mita, Merrill Lynch
Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Syracuse University
Meredith Moore, Weil, Gotshal, & Manges LLP
Linda Moran, Cox College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Sandra Morgen, Pennsylvania State University
Roweena Naidoo, The Women’s Foundation of Colorado
Kimber J. Nicoletti, CARe: Communities Against Rape Initiative
Anne Marie Nicolosi, The College of New Jersey
Catherine Orenstein, The Op-Ed Project
Ramona Ortega, Women of Color Policy Network at NYU
Rupal Oza, Hunter College
Heather Panahi, MassNOW
Eesha Pandit, MergerWatch
Judy Patrick, The Women’s Foundation of California
Linda Perkins, Claremont Graduate University
Ros Petchesky, Hunter College
Marj Plumb, Women’s Foundation of California
Katie Quan, Cornell University/University of California, Berkeley
Dina Refki, State University of New York at Albany
Ashley Reichelman, College of New Jersey
Jane Roberts, 34 Million Friends of UNFPA
Brenda Ross, Cottey College
Sue V. Rosser, Ivan Allen College
Ariella Rotramel, Rutgers University
Anne Runyan, University of Cincinnati
Larry Ruisi, Credit Suisse
Elizabeth A. Sackler, Elizabeth Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum
Lynda M. Sagrestano, University of Memphis
Judith R. Saidel, State University of New York at Albany
Kimberlee Salmond, Girl Scouts of the USA
Rebecca Salonen, Godparents Association
Kathy Sanders-Phillips, Howard University College of Medicine
Ruth Schwartz Cowan, University of Pennsylvania
Cynthia Secor, NCRW Board of Directors
Donna Shavlik, American Council on Education
Deborah Siegel, Woodhull Institute
Jael Silliman, Ford Foundation
Ellie Smeal, Feminist Majority Foundation
Taleigh Smith, Mothers on the Move
Donna Stewartson, University of Massachusetts,Boston
Catharine Stimpson, New York University (NYU)
Taleigh Smith, Mothers on the Move
April de Stefano, University of California, Los Angles
Carla Stokes, Helping Our Teen Girls in Real Life Situations, Inc
Ivy O. Suriyopas
Donna Tambascio, Wellesley College
Mary Thom, Author
Deborah Thomas, University of Pennsylvania
Gloria Thomas, American Council on Education
Gosia Tomaszewska, MassNOW
Suzanne Tomatore, City Bar Justice Center
Virginia Valian, Hunter College
Sarah VanHooser, Vanderbilt University
Sia Vang, The College of St. Catherine
Kathleen Vermazen, Women’s Media Center
Delores M. Walters, National Council for Research on Women
Susan Wefald, Ms. Foundation for Women
Seth Wessler, Applied Research Center
Patricia Williams, Columbia University
Marie Wilson, The White House Project
Ludmilla Wikkeling-Scott, National Minority AIDS Council
Jane Wishner, Southwest Women’s Law Center
Lisa Witter, Author, Fenton Communications
Melinda Wolfe, American Express
Gina Wood, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
LaLa Wu, The Bella Abzug Leadership Institute
Diana Yadria Salas, Women of Color Policy Network
Joy Zarembka, Break The Chains Campaign, Institute for Policy Studies
More info on the conference here.
For a good while now, blogger Melissa Silverstein has been keeping excellent track of women at the movies–as producers, directors, and audiences. And this week over at Women and Hollywood blog, Melissa writes:
Sex and the City took in $5.5 at the box office on Monday making it the best non-holiday Monday of the year after Iron Man. News flash to Hollywood, women do go to the movies during the week.
Will SATC change the way Hollywood looks at the female audience demographic? We shall see.
Quick reminder, for those in the vicinity, or those coming in: I’m offering a 3-hour blogging workshop on Saturday at the National Council for Research on Women’s annual conference, Hitting the Ground Running: Research, Activism, and Leadership for a New Era, on Saturday. The conference froms from June 5-7 at the Kimmel Center at NYU (60 Washington Square South). And for anyone convinced that the blogosphere can be ignored, I urge you to read last week’s article in AdAge on just how mainstream it is–among women.
Developed in tandem with Courtney Martin, who will be out of town for this one, the session will be led with the assistance of Elizabeth Curtis.
You can still register for the NCRW conference, here. And thanks for passing it on to anyone you think might be interested! Description of the session below.
Strategic Blogging for Organizations, Women’s Centers, and Feminist Experts
Author and blogger Deborah Siegel will lead participants through the basics of blogging—both logistical and philosophical. Participants will leave with a sense of the ways in which blogging is changing the media landscape—especially for women!—and tools for how to start one for their organization or improve one that’s already off the ground. Topics will include: young feminism and activism online, reaching the momosphere, and publicizing events and publications through blogs.
Well, it’s over. And with heavy heart yet a solid sense of the stakes come November, this Hillary supporter is turning her energy now to the general election and getting herself completely behind the dude. So many important lessons and takeaways from primary season, which I’ll continue to write and speak about as we go.
Of course, one of the most important outcomes of having two such amazing candidates on the Dem ticket this primary season: the number of young people who rallied. On that note, definitely check out Courtney’s latest, Fanning the Flames of Youth Civic Engagement, over at the WMC this week. Here’s a summary:
As we finish the final contests of the primaries, young people are excited about politics. According to the PBS News Hour, 5.7 million people under the age of 30 voted in the primaries, a 109 percent increase from last presidential election. As Courtney Martin reports in the latest WMC Exclusive, young voters’ enthusiasm should not be written off as a case of “Obama mania” (he got just 57 percent of the youth vote in Iowa, for example). Courtney writes, “In 2004, youth turnout in the general election rose by 4.3 million votes over the 2000 level, and hit the highest level in over a decade… The challenge ahead is to keep the excitement over the primaries alive until November, but what’s more, make sure that civic engagement becomes an organic part of young people’s frenetic lives from here on out.”
This is why I love CCF, which I blog about here a lot because they’re just such darn good providers in the knowledge business. This week they’re issuing a press release on the importance of a time use survey, with contemporary spin and flair–and an important message with policy application: “Save ATUS.” What’s ATUS you ask? Here’s a sneak peak at the release, courtesy of Virginia Rutter, who just sent it to me. Feel free to pass it on!:
Making Time for Work and Family: Got Data?
For Family Social Scientists, the American Time Use Survey Provides Valuable Information on Work, Family, and How We Endure the Conflict between the Two
June 4, 2008 Chicago Il —- Mothers do more paid work—14 hours more—than they did 40 years ago. They do less housework—exactly 14 hours fewer—too. But they do 4 hours more of childcare than in the past. How do we know? Suzanne Bianchi, University of Maryland sociologist, and her colleagues used the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), a time diary study that has been collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics since 2003.
Dads are stepping up in new ways too. Men have steadily increased their participation in housework and child care over the past 30 years. And contrary to claims of some earlier studies, dads who work less than full-time don’t use their extra time just to watch TV. Part-time worker dads do more housework (about an hour more) than full-time worker dads, and about 40 minutes more childcare. We know about these changes thanks to forthcoming work from Liana Sayer (Ohio State University) and Sanjiv Gupta (University of Massachusetts at Amherst) in which they analyzed the 2003-2005 ATUS.
But if women have given up 14 hours a week of housework and taken on 14 more hours of paid work, what else have they given up to put in 4 more hours of childcare? Here the news may be less rosy. It appears that social bonding with spouse, kin, and friends is being sacrificed to the higher standards for time with children. Bianchi and colleagues’ analysis of the ATUS reveals that, compared to 20 years ago, married working moms now spend less time with their spouse—while single moms spend less time with friends and family.
SCIENCE HELPS US KEEP UP WITH SOCIAL CHANGE
These facts illustrate the on-going revolution in how Americans spend their time—what they do at work, how men and women organize family schedules, and how children and teens spend their days. To understand changes in family life and to guide policy makers—and families themselves—about the best ways to adjust to new patterns of work and parenting, researchers collect such information. This in turn becomes the basis for news stories, advice columns and television programs that citizens rely on—and are hungry for.
The American Time Use Survey is one of those key resources. (For more information on ATUS visit http://www.bls.gov/tus/home.htm and www.saveatus.org.) As researcher Bianchi explains, “ATUS provides essential information about how Americans spend their time—time spent caring for children, cleaning the house, working for pay, and caring for sick adults.” We all rely on these jobs being done in order to keep our society running well: but it is vital for us to know how, when, and by whom they are done in our changing social world.
“The Council on Contemporary Families uses this kind of scientific research in order to understand the complex and changing dynamics of the family,” reports Evergreen State College Professor Stephanie Coontz, CCF’s Director of Research and Public Education. “Many CCF briefing papers and fact sheets rely on data from the time-use studies.” (A host of examples are at http://www.contemporaryfamilies.org/briefpapers.php.)
“The complexity of coordinating families’ work and school schedules with the need for health care, down time, cultivation of intimacy, and everyday chores presents new challenges to couples, parents, and children in the way they spend their days,” explains Coontz. “Changes in time use help us understand how families cope with modern stresses–and also what happens when they cannot cope. Right now, the economy is slowing down, but many families find themselves speeding up. Unless we keep on top of these changes, we cannot analyze what kinds of practical support and information families need. Making sure that the data continue to be collected is an issue that cuts across partisan divisions, uniting family researchers from many different points of view.”
For further information on the American Time Use Survey, visit http://www.bls.gov/tus/home.htm.
WELL DONE, CCF!
Interesting piece in today’s NYTimes by Tamar Lewin, titled ‘Sisters’ Colleges See a Middle Eastern Bounty. It seems women’s colleges are a dwindling breed in the United States. So this spring the admissions deans of the five leading women’s colleges — Bryn Mawr, Barnard, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley and Smith — went recruiting to a place where single-sex education is more than a niche product: the Middle East. Read the rest.
Kudos to Nancy Polikoff for her smart LA Times oped the other week! Nancy is the author of Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage: Valuing All Families under the Law, and a law professor at American University, and a scholar who calls for valuing contemporary families not as they “should” be but as they are. Here’s the lede graf (journo speak for the opening paragraph) of her oped:
It’s the 1968 revolution you never heard of. Forty years ago today, tucked in between the assassinations of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling repudiated centuries of settled law by granting constitutional recognition and protection to a previously outcast group: children born outside of marriage and their parents….
From a “making it PoP” perspective, I like her lede sentence. Very grabby. For the skinny, read the rest here.
