Girl Mayor
Matthew (age 3): “It has to be the mayor.” Me: “The mayor?” Sam (age 5): “Yeah, you know, the guy in charge of everyone in the city.” Me: “You know, women can be mayors too.” Sam: “Yeah, but they’re usually guys.” I keep having some iteration of this conversation with my young sons – women … Continue reading
Why Some Women Love the Ban Bossy Campaign
Sheryl Sandberg’s campaign to “Ban Bossy” when talking about girls, so that they’re less likely to be discouraged from being leaders, has generated some serious backlash. Some have objected to the campaign by schooling us on the differences between being bossy and being a leader. Indeed, these words are not synonymous in the dictionary. Some, especially … Continue reading
To Ban Bossy Or Not?
Better that 500 bossy girls go free, than that one leader girl be discouraged. Or something like that. Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook who urged us to Lean In, is now teaming up with others urging us not to call girls “bossy” in her “Ban Bossy” Campaign. To a certain extent, the sentiment makes … Continue reading
“Are you getting your period?”
“I get annoyed with [my husband] when I overreact to something and he retorts: ‘are you getting your period?’” my friend says. Just imagine what it would be like if we treated men the same way. “You’re only mad because you have blood dripping from your penis. Not because of what I did.” “You always … Continue reading
Mad Women
I spent today, Saturday, in the hospital playing doctor, while my physician husband took our three kids to a birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese. Though I generally dread working on weekends, my work today was more satisfying than my prior experiences at Chuck-E-Cheese have been, and in the context of the recent swirl of leaning-in and opting-out, I should … Continue reading
The Women’s Table
Oh, no. I’m at the loser table, I thought walking into the large room for our summer intern lunch. I sat at my assigned table with the other female bioengineering summer interns and the one female manager, while looking around enviously as the male interns I worked with sat elsewhere with the men. Every woman who works in a male dominated field wants to be sitting at the table with the highest level leadership, and we know, just as everybody … Continue reading
On Names, from someone who doesn’t have one. Guest post by Stephen Brown
My name is Stephen Brown, I was born on the Isle of Wight. I am the fiancé referred to in the article. It is a common name in Britain, a very common name. Both parts. At my school I was not the only Brown, or the only Stephen. At work right now I am not … Continue reading
Girl Driver
“Mom, doctors are men and nurses are women,” one of my four-year-olds said to me cuddling up in my lap as the pediatric nurse walked in. He wasn’t trying to be inflammatory. At this age, he had been learning social norms, and his voice betrayed the pride he felt at finally figuring out this “rule.” … Continue reading
mybetterdoctor 