The first time I saw this, I was suspicious that it might be a hoax. But it turns out it’s real (at least Snopes says so).
Thanks, Orla H.!
gender: work
This is an ad for Allstate’s retirement programs; it appeared on the back cover page of The New Yorker. What struck me is that the ad is using the fact that women leave the workforce to care for children as a tactic to scare families into buying their product:
The average woman spends 11 years out of the workforce taking care of family. Leaving her without enough retirement money to take care of herself. Those 11 years are spent doing important work, caring for children or elderly parents. But then can also hurt her ability to retire. Fact is, women are still earning less than men do, and they live longer…Women care for America. It’s time we showed that America cares about their future.
Notice the picture: it’s a woman with a small child and a stroller, all about to fall off into the large crevice in the $20 bill.
I’m really not sure quite what to make of this or what my take on it is.
From a recent article on men’s increasing comfort with wives who make more than them:
The cartoon summarizes the article nicely – it’s fine for women to make more as long as it doesn’t cause them to slack off in other domains and expect men to pitch in on “domestic responsibilities.”
Found here.
My friend Jason is giving a talk on the constitutional limits of video surveillance (thank goodness someone is) at the 2008 California Police Chiefs Association Conference. In case you’re still trying to convince your students that jobs are gendered, that there is an imperative to marry, that heteronormativity is in place, and that women are expected to conform to emphasized femininity… check this out:
The conference website has a page for “Spouse Events”. The spouse is implicitly a woman, and a rather girly one at that. The “gift set” (for which they “spare no expense”) is from “…Victoria’s Secret… [and includes an] engraved picture frame, lipstick case, spirits and sweets all in a tote.” A tote! Spouses also get “special outings,” “hospitality,” and a “whirlwind of memories.” She gets to choose from number of feminine pasttimes, including the spa, shopping, antiquing, and dance, or she can get a taste of what the big boys do (for “action adventure types” only).
Chris M. noticed something bizarre on the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) website.
If you scroll about 1/4th of the way down this page, there is a list of pdfs and videos about security on airplanes. There are separate videos for the female and the male “business traveler.” They both show liquids in a plastic bag, but apparently only men carry laptops and women are relieved from having to take off their shoes.
Chris thought it was especially interesting to see this on a .gov site. Nice find Chris!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9KLOYWlarE[/youtube]
A friend of mine, Jason Schultz, took this picture of this sign being sold in a toy store:
Jason suggested that it re-affirmed the notion that men and women are inherently at odds in a zero sum game
It is certainly androcentric in that it suggests that, in this case, girls should be proud of what they do insofar as they do what men have “traditionally” done.
And, to tie these two thoughts together, that girls should be proud when they take away what is “traditionally” men’s.
What do we really think about “girl power”?
This is an ad for Allstate’s retirement programs; it appeared on the back cover page of The New Yorker. What struck me is that the ad is using the fact that women leave the workforce to care for children as a tactic to scare families into buying their product:
The average woman spends 11 years out of the workforce taking care of family. Leaving her without enough retirement money to take care of herself. Those 11 years are spent doing important work, caring for children or elderly parents. But then can also hurt her ability to retire. Fact is, women are still earning less than men do, and they live longer…Women care for America. It’s time we showed that America cares about their future.
Notice the picture: it’s a woman with a small child and a stroller, all about to fall off into the large crevice in the $20 bill.
I’m really not sure quite what to make of this or what my take on it is.
From a recent article on men’s increasing comfort with wives who make more than them:
The cartoon summarizes the article nicely – it’s fine for women to make more as long as it doesn’t cause them to slack off in other domains and expect men to pitch in on “domestic responsibilities.”
Found here.
My friend Jason is giving a talk on the constitutional limits of video surveillance (thank goodness someone is) at the 2008 California Police Chiefs Association Conference. In case you’re still trying to convince your students that jobs are gendered, that there is an imperative to marry, that heteronormativity is in place, and that women are expected to conform to emphasized femininity… check this out:
The conference website has a page for “Spouse Events”. The spouse is implicitly a woman, and a rather girly one at that. The “gift set” (for which they “spare no expense”) is from “…Victoria’s Secret… [and includes an] engraved picture frame, lipstick case, spirits and sweets all in a tote.” A tote! Spouses also get “special outings,” “hospitality,” and a “whirlwind of memories.” She gets to choose from number of feminine pasttimes, including the spa, shopping, antiquing, and dance, or she can get a taste of what the big boys do (for “action adventure types” only).
Chris M. noticed something bizarre on the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) website.
If you scroll about 1/4th of the way down this page, there is a list of pdfs and videos about security on airplanes. There are separate videos for the female and the male “business traveler.” They both show liquids in a plastic bag, but apparently only men carry laptops and women are relieved from having to take off their shoes.
Chris thought it was especially interesting to see this on a .gov site. Nice find Chris!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9KLOYWlarE[/youtube]
A friend of mine, Jason Schultz, took this picture of this sign being sold in a toy store:
Jason suggested that it re-affirmed the notion that men and women are inherently at odds in a zero sum game
It is certainly androcentric in that it suggests that, in this case, girls should be proud of what they do insofar as they do what men have “traditionally” done.
And, to tie these two thoughts together, that girls should be proud when they take away what is “traditionally” men’s.
What do we really think about “girl power”?