Fem2.0′s campaign, Wake Up, This Is the Reality! is winding down, and what a ride it’s been! What have we learned from it? That the public work/life conversation about what it’s like to work in America today MUST NOT END. We got a measure of how tough it really is out here as we struggle to work and take care of our responsibilities at home. If we make enough noise, maybe, finally, we’ll get the changes we need to make it just a little easier. We don’t need lawmakers’ perpetual insistence that they’re in Washington working on our behalf when they are not ready to take simple steps to prove it. We don’t need their moral support on legislation like Paid Sick Days and Paid Maternity Leave – we need their votes to make it happen!

Our blog radio series approached work/life from many directions, and the likes of Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and NY Times Motherlode blogger Liz Belkin helped us make the point that this is an issue that effects us all. If you missed the series or want to revisit any of the programs, all 11 are available as podcasts, which you can download and freely share with your own communities.

The blog carnival spanned a dizzying variety of perspectives and issues, and here are some highlights:

This Is Reality, WomenCount, 2.5.10

The reality is that we are all trying to make it work. We are all struggling with childcare, finances, finding work, keeping up with work, trying to be the best parents we can be with sometimes limited time and energy to do so.  There is no such thing as a perfect work/life balance. But there is such a thing as friendship, a positive attitude, and doing the best you can.

My Mother’s Story, Say It, Sister! NOW’s Blog for Equality, 2.8.10

As I’ve been helping my retired mother prepare to move closer to me, it occurs to me just how much her life illustrates the relevance of key feminist issues – such as women’s economic security, their ability to juggle work and family responsibilities and their access to adequate, affordable health care. For more than a decade, I’ve been writing about issues like Social Security, pay equity and caregiving, and as I look closer at my mother’s history, the importance of NOW’s work on these issues becomes clearer than ever.

Do You See Yourself in this Picture?, Speaking of Women’s Rights…, 2.9.10

Family-Friendly. Family Values. Family First. Ever notice how saying a word over and over eventually turns it into gobbledygook? Sometimes it seems that way with "family": we all use it, but what do we mean when we say "protect our families"? Or "have a family-friendly workplace". More fundamentally, what do we mean when we say "family"?

Balancing on Guilt, Career Life Connection, 2.11.10

Today’s guest post is quite timely as I spent yesterday afternoon listening to a radio show where parents discuss how work/life stress affects kids and how that stress is somewhat self-imposed and how guilt plays into it.  My take is that parenting is wonderful and also very hard and also simply boring.  I try very hard not to do guilt as a parent…it’s unproductive.  And I’m lucky to have very supportive friends who understand and know the realities of parenting and are happy to be honest about it.

Everyone Gets Sick, But Many Workers Don’t Get Time to Get Better, SEIU Blog, 2.11.10

The CDC strongly recommends that you stay home if you or your child gets sick, whether it’s with the flu or H1N1 virus. What the CDC doesn’t report is that that’s not an option for a lot of people-they leave this part out. "Most voters assume people have sick leave-that their employers just provide it," said Lake Research Partners’ Anita Sharma during a Fem2.0 podcast discussion last week on work/life policies and issues.

What Could Be More Exciting?, National Association of Mothers’ Centers, 2.13.10

The perspective on the work of parenting in our society seems to be colored by undertones of menial, less important work that gets in the way of the really important stuff we need to do. Yet, what could be more important, critical – and yes, exciting – than raising the next generation?  I think we need to reframe how we think of motherhood and fatherhood. When you stop and think about it, it really is one of the most exciting and amazing endeavors a human being can experience in life.

Here are other great posts in the carnival:

• Work-Life Redefined – a Blog Carnival of Ideas, About.com’s Working Moms Blog
• Your Lack of Paid Parental Leave Is a Human Rights Issue: HELP HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH PROVE IT, Fem2pt0.com
• Work-Life Initiatives Are the Foundation of Authentic Organizations, Authentic Organizations
• Bottom Line on Work-Life Effectiveness, Catalyst, Inc.
• The Part-time Worker, AFT’s Faculty and College Excellence
• Let’s start talking about work/family balance, 9to5
• Work/Life Balance and the LGBT Community, Mombian
• Managing Work and Family is an Early Learning Issue, Birth to Thrive Online
• What Do Kids Really Think About Their Working Parents?, Motherlode
• Work/Life and the Military: What It’s Really Like to Work and Serve, Blue Star Families
• A Woman’s Nation Demands Changes in Workplace Policy, 9to5
• Working Conditions for Women in U.S. Lag Behind Europe, Say It, Sister! NOW’s Blog for Equality,
• Black History Month Challenge: A Youth-Led Jobs Revolution, USW Blog
• The Fem 2.0 Blog Carnival: Shifting the Public Narrative, The Brodsky Blog
• Generation Y: As In, Why Not Change Now?, Say It, Sister! NOW’s Blog for Equality

Thanks again to all that spread the word, participated and even hosted their own blog carnivals. Fem2.0 gives a special shout-out to Judy Martin of Work Life Nation and Katherine Lewis of About.com’s Working Moms blog for their enthusiasm and support throughout the campaign, and to Marcia G. Yerman and Ananda Leeke for helping get the word out and keeping the online conversations lively – the Fem2.0 community would be nothing without the passion and commitment of members like Marcia and Ananda.

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