Doing It All? Young Feminists Take on Work, Family, and the Meaning of Success: A Panel Discussion

The Barnard Center for Research on Women hosted a panel discussion, "Doing It All? Young Feminists Take on Work, Family, and the Meaning of Success," as part of its Feminist Futures series, on September 18, 2003.

"Exhaustion, panic, and rage"—these are the words, according to moderator Deborah Siegel (co-editor of the Scholar and Feminist Online), that young women voice most often to describe the precarious act of "balancing" work and family life. The panelists responded with their own stories of exhaustion, panic, anger, compromise, confusion, and humor, reflecting on the quest for a so-called balanced life, notions of success, and lessons learned from female family members, friends, and mentors. What follows is an edited transcript of the event.

The Participants:

Lynette Clemetson is a domestic correspondent based in the Washington bureau of the New York Times and travels nationally covering social and political issues. Lynette came to the Times from Newsweek, where she worked as a national correspondent in the magazine's Washington bureau. Clemetson has been awarded for her part in several Newsweek cover packages; awards include the National Association of Black Journalists Award for Magazine Journalism in 2002, for the cover package, "The New Black Power." She lives with her husband in Washington, D.C.

Carrie Fernandez is senior communications manager for the American Foundation for the Blind. Previously at the Ms. Foundation, Carrie was responsible for the rebranding of one of the most successful public education campaigns in history—Take Our Daughters to Work Day. In 2002, Carrie managed the launch of the new program—Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work—and played a key role in developing its focus on work and family issues.

Cathi Hanauer is the editor of The Bitch in the House: 26 Women Tell the Truth about Sex, Solitude, Work, Motherhood, and Marriage, a New York Times best-seller. Her book set off a national conversation about the issues her subtitle raises. She is the author of the novel My Sister's Bones, and she has written articles, essays, reviews, and fiction for Elle, Mirabella, Self, Glamour, Mademoiselle, O, Parenting, and many other magazines. She lives in western Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and son.

Deborah Siegel is director of special projects at the National Council for Research on Women. Prior to joining the Council, Deborah was a research scholar with the Barnard Center for Research on Women (BCRW), where she co-founded and oversaw the launch of the Scholar & Feminist Online. Deborah continues as the journal's editor, which is now publishing its sixth issue. In 2001, Deborah received her doctorate in English and Women's Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the author of numerous articles and chapters on women, sex, and popular culture and has published in scholarly journals, popular magazines, and on the web. Her dissertation, which she is reworking as a book, looks at changing images and definitions of "feminism" in American popular culture over the past 40 years.