The American Prospect's Mother Load

The American Prospect has outdone itself with a massive issue that is, quite literally, the Mother Load.

“Why Can’t America Have a Family-Friendly Workplace?” the cover asks. Inside you’ll find a special report on work/family politics that grew out of a 2006 conference titled “Who Cares: Dilemmas of Work and Family in the 21st Century,” sponsored by the Council on Contemporary Families.

The American Prospect website includes almost every article in full, along with related reports and advocacy, research and blog links. Web-only stories on work/family issues will be posted throughout the month, so keep checking back for new content. This is a must-save resource for current and future discussions.

One small note: Currently, the only aspect addressed by a male writer deals specifically with the role of fathers. There’s no shortage of male bylines in general, of course, but there always seems to be a paucity when the coverage is about work/family issues — even though both sexes are affected by the lack of institutional support and by damaging gender and cultural stereotypes.

Just as we crave women’s voices in traditionally male journalistic and political realms, we also need men to represent themselves on what traditionally have been considered “women’s issues.” This is essential not only to demonstrate that men have a real stake in these public policy debates, but also as a reference to male readers that this is an important political conversation.