There’s an Eruption in My Living Room! The Care Economy, Part 1
Release Date: 08/07/2022
Parity Podcast
Kicking off the fourth season, Cathy and Deborah welcome Vivia Chen to discuss the challenges of getting the care you need for your mental health. Vivia, an award winning columnist and prolific opinion writer, was denied short term disability because she was not deemed "sad enough." Vivia discusses mental health stereotypes and solutions for change. You can find and on LinkedIn.
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In this episode, Cathy and Deborah discuss the revolt against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts - and women - in the workplace. How did the seemingly noncontentious goal of inclusivity become controversial? More importantly, what can we learn from this back lash to transform our own approach? As always, we offer solutions.
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In this episode, we talk to Angela B. Freeman, mom, wife, law firm partner, and podcaster about where she's been and what she hopes for in teaming up with others. We discuss the moments White women have failed to be allies and partners to Women of Color, and what we all need to do to step up, including recognizing the advantages some people have based on skin color. Along with firmly believing in herself but knowing she had to be twice as good, Angela carried - and continues to carry - a deep curiousity for others.
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The year 2023 brought incremental gains at the top for women overall but not for women of color. Women in middle management also lost ground, leaving open the question of whether gains at the top were a passing fancy. Join us to discuss 2023 challenges as well as solutions.
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Join us for a discussion with Blessing Adesiyan who entered corporate American with a baby in her arms, literally. She shares her nuggets about creating a care infrastructure for workers at all levels and how businesses can best adapt in this new post-COVID landscape. As Blessing says, we're not going back to how it was before. In this new reality, caring about workers is as imperative for their well-being as it is for the bottom line.
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts surged in 2020, but are now experiencing headwinds. Carrie Fletcher, leadership and strategy consultant, joins us to discuss how and why DEI initiatives falter, the critical role of men, and the need to address the elephant in the room which asks "what's in it for me"?
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Good Guys authors David Smith and Brad Johnson say that men are the key to gender parity. We agree but we need many more men as allies. In this episode, Cathy and Deborah ask the tough questions. What is standing in the way of full engagement by men? And for those men who are engaged, what can they do right now? You can learn more about the important work that Dave and Brad are doing on . You can also read their books and Where You Can Find Us Website: Follow us on Co-Hosts: and
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We are joined by Gender Equity and Reconciliation International (GERI) to discuss bringing women and men together to listen to each other and bridge the gender divide. Its view? Parity isn't possible unless we engage with each other more deeply. GERI colleagues Cynthia Brix and Jon Levitt share a glimpse into what this process entails.
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People hear a lot of different things when they hear the word "privilege," both good and bad. In this episode, Cathy and Deborah discuss their own privileges and how to have a more constructive, nuanced discussion, including by ditching the word. They also discuss "aha" moments and best practices for using whatever privileges -- or advantages -- you have to create a more inclusive workplace.
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We focus a lot in this day and age on unconscious bias, but women continue to experience head-scratching moments of in-your-face, outright explicit bias. From public shaming to cornering and bullying, listen in on these modern-day examples of good old-fashioned blatant sexism - and know you are not alone. Then, learn what you can do as the target of bias, and even more importantly as an ally, including by "calling out" and "calling in." For more information, we recommend these resources:
info_outlineCaregiving is a second economy that requires a skilled workforce all its own. Yet, women are its main drivers, leaving us tired and worn out, and making it nigh impossible to compete in the workplace. We cannot achieve gender parity without more support. The pandemic showed us that caregivers and those we tend to deserve better. Dr. Nithila Peter joins us in a 2 part series to discuss solutions.
You can Subscribe! so you don’t miss any episodes! Time-stamped show notes are below. You can find a transcript of today’s episode here.
If you would like to learn more about today’s topic:
Unfinished Business by Anne Marie Slaughter
Secrets of the Sprakkar by Eliza Reid
Blessing Adesiyan, the Founder and CEO of Mother Honestly, is a good resource
1:00 Women are disproportionately responsible for the caring of others
1:41 Definition of the care economy https://research.american.edu
2:20 Women have less time and energy for our careers
3:06 Pandemic made matters worse
4:07 Society doesn’t value caregiving
5:08 Dr. Nithila Peter is joining us today
6:04 Connection between emotional intelligence and the giving of care
9:15 Caregivers make the best employees
10:03 Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft
11:20 Mentors, coaches, and managers are or should be caregivers
12:06 The pandemic caused many caregivers to collapse
13:35 View of caregiving as “women’s work”
14:29 Students equated caregiving skills to the skills of a janitor
17:30 Caregiving should be more equitably handled by all genders
19:13 We all need to be open to learning these important caregiving skills
21:30 Parents grow skills by being caregivers
23:30, 25:10 Providing care is akin to rocket science
27:22 Stop gender stereotyping
28:12 Lack of support systems for people who want to be caregivers and breadwinners
31:00 How the Indian culture offers support for caregivers
35:00 High cost of caregiving keeps some women home
37:25 Some women don’t have power in their own homes to allocate resources to caregiving
38:40 Women must have equality at home to have equality in the workplace
40:33 Iceland supports caregivers
41:15 Iceland is the most gender equal country in the world
41:51 Organizations can provide support if governments do not
42:00 Former CEO of Pepsi, Indra Nooyi supports more visibility of caregiving at work
47:15 Role of feminism in the care economy
48:34 Most women are breadwinners and caregivers
50:10 Working stands in the way of caregiving vs. caregiving stands in the way of working
51:00 Woman leader published article saying women should reconsider having children
53:45 Sheryl Sandberg did not tell us to lean into motherhood
54:50 Caregiving needs to be more visible
55:25 Pipeline of women talent is completely broken due to caregiving pressures
58:05 We need to talk more about caregiving responsibilities at work
Where You Can Find Us
Website: www.par-ity.com
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Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick
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