I really appreciated this article because for once it put the focus not on what women can change and do differently, but what America’s society today can change in regards to the way we view mothers in the professional world. Slaughter is a successful working woman and mother who points out that the idea of women being able to have a satisfying amount of time with their children in addition to a high-powered career is unrealistic (particularly trying to do both at the same time). However, Slaughter emphasizes that this is not something the mothers are doing wrong, but is rather a problem within the professional world and how it views female parents.

One of my favorite moments in the article was when Slaughter said: “Whenever I am introduced at a lecture or other speaking engagement, I insist that the person introducing me mention that I have two sons. It seems odd to me to list degrees, awards, positions, and interests and not include the dimension of my life that is the most important to me – and takes an enormous amount of my time.” Slaughter commented on how genuinely sad it is that working women feel the need to suppress their maternal circumstances while on the job, and act like their situation has no effect on them whatsoever while at work. This is a problem in our working society.

I agree with Slaughter in the sense that the “family” discussion needs to be worked into the mix more during professional conversation. She brought up a female principal who continued to reference her children and end meetings early to get back to her family. Although many thought the principal was demeaning herself and making her co-workers see her in a less-serious light, it was in fact a deliberate choice. Her point was that reasonable compromises can start to be made for working mothers if the professional atmosphere becomes slightly more welcoming and understanding on the topic.

Women who want to be mothers these days are faced with three choices: either choose between the career and motherhood, become a mother while settling for a less demanding job, or try to juggle an extremely high-maitenance position with caring for your children. Slaughter points out that none of these options, at least for women who desire to be mothers, are very appealing. The fourth option could benefit everyone: changing the values of society today and creating a society that puts professional and personal choices on the same level.