Betty Friedan, in Beyond Gender: The New Politics of Work and Family discusses the urgency of a new paradigm shift that addresses issues of shorter work weeks, flexible work hours, the backlash against women, the family, and family values. She conducted seminars, attended conferences, and reviewed current events in order to gain momentum for this thrust into a paradigm transition. The goal of the new paradigm shift is to bring men and women together, as a community, to move toward a break- through in the work time-bind.
The development of the new paradigm began in 1994. Friedan reflects on the many events that have sparked this process. White-male managerial incomes are dropping, service jobs are being out-sourced, a backlash toward women is gaining strength, and corporate downsizing are all characteristics of this time. She also reflects on Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolution (1960) as the defining source of this paradigm. The disturbing paradox that she believes exists is that women are achieving what appears to be equality at the possible expense of men doing worse.
She used her appointment at the Woodrow Wilson Center to organize the New Paradigm Seminars, an eclectic blend of presenters and discussants, including leaders of women's organizations, bankers from Minneapolis, a district judge, the director of the Hispanic Association of Colleges, the president of Domestic Policy, and representatives from the YWCA, AARP, and the Urban Institute. Heidi Hartmann acted as Friedan's co-chair for these seminars.
The discussions began with the idea that shorter work weeks and flexible work schedules (without decreasing incomes), are an alternative to company downsizing. This alternative provides parents the opportunity to care for their own children, reduces age discrimination, and addresses the anxiety that Generation X expresses toward the existence of Social Security. Evaluating the events of Flint, Michigan and General Motors, the focus of the paradigm is on the betterment of society, not just women. Juliet Schor discusses the need to abolish compulsory overtime and provide pro-rated benefits to part-time workers. Several organizations that have made these changes are cited, such as the AAUW and the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis. The corporate sector is represented by Jeremy Rifkin, who promotes the "third sector" (i.e., volunteer work) as the future safety net for finding secure jobs. Friedan and Rifkin both urges a tax credit be given to individuals who volunteer their time as a necessary ingredient of this paradigm shift. Other topics that arose in their discussions include welfare reform and the backlash against women and minorities via attacks on affirmative action.
Throughout the discussions, the need for business and corporate sponsorship that practice a broad vision of the community was believed to be key in developing a new way about thinking about work and family issues. One company that exemplifies this new mode of thought is Xerox, which allows full-time workers to take sabbaticals for up to nine months at full pay. Another key player in the paradigm shift is the media and their role of reporting.
Friedan discusses her experiences at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. Her experiences there illustrate the difficulty in finding a consensus on the definition of the family and family values. What is clear, however, is that the economy is a significant link to problems such as fatherlessness, marriage and divorce, and family structure, all of which need to be viewed as an agenda for the community.
Friedan concludes that the new paradigm shift is underway, evidenced by the changes that are occurring in the corporate sector and in the vigorous public discussion of these issues. The need for restructuring the economy is paramount in countering increased income inequality and in meeting the needs of the family. The mission of the new paradigm includes the demand for shorter work weeks, the abolition of mandatory overtime, providing pro-rated benefits for part-time and flex-time workers, and paying employees for five days of work with one day reserved for community service. Friedan calls on members of the community to focus on their similarities rather than their differences, in order to shift toward a new paradigm for balancing the demands of work and family.
