By the end of 2009, it is estimated that 70% of American families will have a working Mom.  Many of these women are working by choice; many others need to work to co-support their families.  Still others have been pushed into the workplace as the economy faltered and lifestyles needed to be maintained.  The stress accompanied by family demands on workplace productivity continues to rise as more and more dual career parents increase in number.

What have business organizations done to accommodate to the current world of work-family obligations?

NPR host Neal Conan on “Talk of the Nation” interviews Nancy Gibbs, Times editor-at- large, and New York Times columnist Gail Collins (October 19, 2009) who discussed Women in the Workplace Still Face Inequality.  Have students go to www.npr.org to locate this podcast.  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113939266,

Questions:

1. Have students briefly describe their own observations of how the work environment they are familiar with provides for working parents.

2. What might organizations do to make it easier for families to manage the competing demands and stressors when it comes to balancing work and family?

3. After listening to the podcast, what surprised the students regarding the continuing inequality faced by women in the workplace?

4. How might these factors that the students identify negatively impact an organization?