• Research
• BRANDEIS HOME

Responses to
"The Opt-Out Myth" 
 

• Broadcast interviews 
• Commentary and blog mentions 
• Reader responses

There's been a great deal of response to our article "The Opt-Out Myth," including that listed below.

Broadcast interviews:

• NECN-TV's "Wired" with Jim Braude, "E.J. Graff on women, work, and family," March 27, 2007. NECN (New England Cable News) is broadcast throughout New England.
• “The Diane Rehm Show,” WAMU/NPR, March 27, 2007. Broadcast on radio networks worldwide, with 1.6 million listeners.
• FAIR's "CounterSpin," "E.J. Graff on The Opt-Out Myth." Interview by Janine Jackson. Broadcast on 135 radio stations worldwide or available by clicking on FAIR's website.

Commentary and blog mentions:

• Metafilter, "The Opt Out Myth," ambrosia
• Daddytypes.com, "Opt-Out Myth-Information," Greg
• Amanda_Mary, "This article is just what I needed to read today"
• Townhall, "Feminism's 'extreme' solution to the opt-out revolution," Megan Basham
• The Toronto Star, "Don't quit your day job," Joan Walsh (reprinted from Salon.com)
• Diary of a Radical Moderate, "Debunking the Mommy Wars," eudaimonia
• Midlife Career Strategy, "Opt-Out Revolution: Lose the Myths," Cathy Goodwin
• Behind the Leafy Veil, "Why corporate America sucks for families," Green Goddess
• Office Temporal, "Women in the workplace: The opt-out Myth," officetemporal
• Salon.com, "The Feminine Mistake," Joan Walsh
• National Organization for Women, "Dismantle the Mom Myth--Letter to the Editor Guide," a call to grassroots action.
• Adventures in Capitalism, "Stat of the Day," Chris
• BlogHer, "The Opt Out Generation: about as real as women burning bras," Elana Centor
• Funny Business, "The Opt Out Generation: about as real as women burning bras," Elana Centor
• Bryanton Post, "The Opt-Out Myth," Hector Bryant L. Macale, Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)
• OpenDemocracyToday, "How she didn't get to the top," Sarah Lindon
• Black Capped Chickadee, "The Opt Out Myth," Mariva Strauss
• TPMCafe, "The Mommy War Wages," Leslie Morgan Steiner
• zeemenator, "How the press keeps missing the facts about working mothers"
• Ezra Klein, "Reinforcements in the "Mommy Wars," Nick Beaudrot
• Bloggy Noodle, "A List of Articles Detailing America's Family Un-Friendly Atmosphere," Sarah
• Champagne Bubbles, "The Opt-Out Myth," faeraviana
• Stats Working Mom, "Media continues to get working mom story wrong,"
• the imponderabilia of actual life, "Myths, research, and opinions about opting out," Sandy D.
• MintJelly, "Opt Out or Forced Out," Mia
• TPMCafe, "The next new deal: what work-life reconciliation policies can and cannot do," Judith Stadtman Tucker
• The Women's Dish with Diane & friends, "Enough with the opting out already!", Diane K. Danielson
• Live Journal, "The opt out myth," Jen
• Maternally Challenged, "We Have Met the Enemy, and She is Us," Tracy Thompson
• TPMCafe.com, "The opt-out myth," E.J. Graff
• The Squawkery, "The Opt-Out Myth," Michele
• Kottke.org, "Interesting article about the myth of American women opting out," Jason Kottke
• Avoiding Crisis, "Somehow all roads lead to Barnard," nicolemarie
• TPMCafe.com, "Naming the problem, rather than blaming the media," Ruth Rosen
• TNROnline.com - The Plank, "The Opt-Out Cop-Out," Britt Peterson
• MothersMovementOnline, "Editor's Notes - March 2007," Judith Stadtman Tucker
• Mama at Work, “The opt-out myth,” Joy Nieman Jernigan          
• OurBodiesOurBlog, "Media Myth-Making: The Moms-Go-Home Story and What It Means for Public Policy," Christine C.
• Trivial Reasons, “Maybe We Just Have Different Definitions,” Steven Bass     
• Yellow is the color…, “how ‘bout we opt-out of sloppy, manufactured-trend pieces, eh?,” Elyzabethe
  Isak, "Opt Out Follow Up," annaleighclark
• There’s no taming this shrew, “I am practically having multiples while reading this…,” Bianca bean
• MojoMom, “Dialogue with Linda Hirshman,” Amy Tiemann
• Nurture Blog, “Opt-Out Opt-In?,” Kan
• TPMCafe.com, "Working families, the care crisis, and time for change," E.J. Graff
• TalkingPointsMemo, "E.J. Graff kicks off this week's conversation," Andrew Golis
• Feminists at Brandeis, “Down with the opt-out myth,” Laura
• Thoughts on women in the paid labor force, “couldn’t have said it better myself,” friend_x
• TAPPED, “Choices, choices,” J. Goodrich
• dankois.com, “Opting Out?”, Dan
• WashingtonPost.com–On Balance, “The Opt–Out Myth,” Leslie Morgan Steiner
• Echidne of the Snakes, “Choices, Choices,” echnide
• Brandeis News, “The Opt Out Myth”
• Nieman Watchdog, “How the press keeps missing the facts about working mothers,” E.J. Graff
• feminist blogs, “E.J. Graff On The Opt-Out Phenomenon,” Echidne
• Women for Hire, "The Perpetual Myth"
• feministing.com, “Weekly Feminist Reader”
• ISAK, “On the Opt-Out Myth”
• National Organization for Women, “Myth About Moms is Crushed, NOW Helps Spread the Word,” Lisa Bennett
• Gold-Plated Witch on Wheels, “More Stay at Home Mom Bashing from the Woman without Kids,” Sharon
• MojoMom, “Wake up and smell the money,” Amy Tiemann
• With Charlie, “Mom, go home”
• Title Pending, "News Round-Up 3/17/07," mk
• Get to Work, “Doesn’t the Columbia Journalism Review Employ a Fact Checker?,” Linda Hirshman
• Rockridge Nation, “Framed! How the Media Paints a Slanted Picture,” Arianna, Rockridge Institute staff
• Pandagon, “The opt-out “revolution”, WMDs in Iraq, and unicorns,” Amanda Marcotte
• The Feminist Bloggers Network, “The opt out “revolution”, WMDs in Iraq, and unicorns,” Liza
• Washington Monthly Political Animal, “Opting Out,” Kevin Drum
• dos muchachitos, “Choices?” Jeanne
• Sister Atom Bomb of Mild Reason, “Via Feministe: This article rules,” fromaway
• feministe, "The Best Article I’ve Read on the “Opt-Out Revolution"," Jill
• cataloguing a life of temporary relief, “common speech does not necessarily equal common sense,” devaretha
• The Real Mr. And Mrs. Smith, “Trend stories…,”
• Later On, “Common slant against women,” Kevin Drum
• Business Week Online, “Media vs. the Facts on Working Mothers,” Cathy Arnst
• Creative Ink, “Friday Madness of Varying Degrees,” Wendy Hoke
• PunditMom, “The Pushed Out Revolution?”, PunditMom
• The Soccer Mom Vote, “The Pushed Out Revolution?,” Drafter Caught in the Draft

Reader responses:

I can't tell you how meaningful your essay was to me and virtually every mid-career woman I know. It's been on constant email-forward among many of my friends. 
I'm a 32-year-old newspaper reporter who has just watched a new mother leave the business after being denied part-time work. Another friend is readying her exit for the same reason. Baby boomer managers -- usually men -- were raised by 1950s stay-at-home moms. Even if their own wives work, they see younger professional women as temporary workers, destined to go on permanent vacation after the birth of a child. That hurts negotiations and salaries. Thank you for pointing out the utter failure of major media to adequately capture this story.
      In my family, I am a breadwinner, pure and simple. And my work is part of me. Why would my friends and I all have spent the last decade working hard to rise in our professions, only to walk away?
      Again, many thanks for your excellent essay.
          --Kathleen Carroll, New Jersey

Thanks for your article on the Opt Out Myth. I used to be a faculty member at [a major research university] and left because of the inability to balance family and work (I have two young kids). I managed to find a great company that has allowed me the flexibility and growth opportunities while doing cutting-edge work and consulting. We have an interesting compensation structure that allows me on a month-to-month basis to determine how much work I wanted to do and what my schedule is going to be. We have no "promotions" and our ability to buy into our partnership is based on our billings. Because there is no bonus, we have no need for face time. Iwork very odd hours at times to accommodate my kids and my clients. Because we have no hierarchy in the company other than a CEO and the rest of us, there is no glass ceiling.
      I often wonder with my friends who are lawyers and consultants why our model couldn't be used in other organizations. It is fair and equal to all. I am usually the only one in my working moms' group who doesn't complain about work/life balance.
          --Anna Thornton, Boston, Massachusetts

Note: If you email comments to us, we will do our best to post them. Please be advised that writing to us constitutes permission to post your email.