Opinion Past YearsWellesley Centers for Women (WCW) researchers, program staff, and guest authors draw on their experiences and scholarship to reflect on issues of particular importance to women, children, and families. Their opinions are occasionally expressed through letters to the editor and commentaries submitted to media outlets. Other opinion pieces have been published in the WCW Research & Action Report; some have been written specifically for publishing on this website. The selections below reflect the personal reflections and commentaries of the contributing authors. Marriage as a Bogus Cure for Poverty: Keeping low-income women safe is in our handsNovember 30, 2005By Jean Hardisty, Ph. D. Story after story of former welfare recipients who now hold jobs have created the dominant media metaphor—women formerly leading hopeless, dead-end lives are required by welfare reform to become employed and now are thrilled with their independence and new sense of self-worth. Hurricane Katrina and Structural Racism: A letter to white peopleSeptember 30, 2005by Jean Hardisty, Ph.D. Senior Scholar Jean Hardisty shares her thinking on structural racism engrained in U.S. society that became front-page news during Hurricane Katrina coverage. Isn't it about the children?September 13, 2005by Georgia Hall, Ph.D. Ordinary people, extraordinary livesAugust 26, 2005by Anne Noonan, Ph.D. and Michelle Porche, Ed.D. Reaffirming Rights in Our Nation's SchoolsMay 31, 2005
by Nan Stein, Ed.D.
Why have school administrators been so quick to embrace the antibullying movement and to abandon the antiharassment focus? Find out what WCW Researcher Nan Stein has to say about schools' reaction to the pressure to address bullying in schools, and what implications this all has for students and teachers.
Op-Ed: Workforce development & compensation critical to quality early childhood educationMarch 29, 2005
Op-Ed submission to the Boston Globe (unpublished)
The creation of the Department of Early Education and Care, developed to administer the Massachusetts’ early education care system, puts the state at a critical juncture in advancing its historic commitment to young children. On July 1st, the new department becomes active, and its Board and Commissioner will have the tough task of deciding how to proceed. Well-trained, qualified teachers and providers are necessary for programs to promote children’s school readiness. The recently released Massachusetts Capacity Study Research Brief: Characteristics of the Current Early Education and Care Workforce provides research-based evidence of the magnitude of the task of workforce development.
A Deadly Culture of IsolationMarch 24, 2005
Op-ed submission to the Boston Globe (unpublished)
The recent shooting rampage at Red Lake High School was among the most violent episodes ever experienced in a school in the United States. Why are we not more shocked? Media reports seem more sparse and muted than with other school shootings in recent years. Could it be after the string of similar attacks by young people from Littleton, Colorado to Jonesboro, Arkansas, we have grown too accustomed to the violence and alienation this desperate act reflects? We may never know why Jeff Weise killed nine others and then himself that Monday afternoon, but we can see familiar patterns. According to press accounts, Weise was a troubled young person who reported being victimized at home and by other students. Neighbors claim that he had few friends and that few adults took the time to get to know him. In recent weeks, depression and teasing at school caused him to retreat to home tutoring. Reports of other school shootings often portray isolated loners with few social skills, excluded from the peer group. Many were targets of bullying and harassment.
by Linda M. Williams, Ph.D.
The conviction of Paul Shanley, a defrocked Catholic priest, on charges of rape and sexual abuse of a child, once again propelled the debate on recovered memory into the media. The jury appears to have understood that memories of child sexual abuse are not always continuous. Most people who were sexually abuse in childhood have all too vivid memories of their experiences. But dozens of credible scientific studies support the conclusion that some men and women who were sexually abused in childhood forget and then go on to recover their memories in adulthood. For example, studies of adults in treatment with mental health professionals have elicited reports of prior periods of no recall of the abuse suffered in childhood. Studies of college students as well as of adults in the wider community find that there are many who report that at some time in the past they forgot their victimization experiences.
Helping to Fight AIDS in AfricaDecember 14, 2004
by Margaret Lumpkin Keon, former WCW Overseer and longtime friend of the Centers
In June of 2003, I was privileged to travel to Malawi with four other members of the board of the Global Aids Interfaith Alliance, or GAIA. Although only three years old, GAIA has been amazingly effective in its work to reduce the incidence and stigma of AIDS, and to educate and train religious leaders and lay people. Having the opportunity to be in Malawi and see the beauty of the country and its people, as well as the devastation of poverty, hunger, and illness, was an important experience, one I shall never forget.
Battered Women: What Goes Into the Stay-leave Decision?November 30, 2004by Vera E. Mouradian, Ph.D. The question most frequently asked of advocates and professionals who work with battered women is: “Why do women stay with men who abuse them?” The short answer is that they don’t: most women who are abused by an intimate partner do not stay with their abusers permanently. Most leave eventually, although the process of leaving may take months or years, with many starts and stops. Unfortunately, the end of the relationship does not necessarily mean the end of the abuse. For these reasons, a more fruitful question to ask is: “What goes into the decision to stay or leave?” Read more. Women Who Make a Difference Award Dinner Acceptance RemarksMarch 10, 2004
by Susan McGee Bailey, Ph.D., Executive Director The National Council for Research on Women (NCRW) chose the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) as an organizational honoree at its annual Women Who Make a Difference gala dinner. The award, accepted by WCW’s Executive Director Susan McGee Bailey, recognizes outstanding women leaders and organizations working in a variety of disciplines for their unique ability to project their visions for a better world onto local, national, and global landscapes. WCW was honored on March 11, 2004, for its outstanding work linking research, theory, and policy and the profound impact this work has had on policy both nationally and internationally. Read more. Is Child Care Bad for Kids?November 30, 2003
by Nancy L. Marshall, Ed.D.
Recent headlines have once again raised the question of whether child care is bad for children. After decades of research, advocacy, program development, and policy, what do we really know about child care? Before addressing this question, it is important to talk about the larger question: what do we really know about women’s (and men’s) lives? The question of child care can only be answered as part of a discussion about how women and men meet the two challenges of both raising the next generation and providing economically for themselves and their families.
Power: Envisioning an Alternate ParadigmMay 31, 2003
by Maureen Walker, Ph.D.
Watching leaders around the world struggle to determine how power should be used to prevent terrorism has caused many of us to question our own assumptions about power. History books would have us believe that power is strictly a function of military strength, economic predominance, or political influence. Nevertheless, many of us recognize that there are alternative ways to conceptualize power. For example, there is probably not a more straightforward and elegant definition of power than that proposed by Jean Baker Miller: “Power is the capacity to produce change.” In this definition, power is a fundamental energy of everyday living.
by Deborah L. Tolman, Ed.D. For many years, I have been frustrated by discussions surrounding abstinence-only sex education. One has little choice but to enter these discussions by taking a for or against stance on abstinence, a term I dislike because it obscures the complexity of sexuality itself and the multidimensional reality of sexuality in adolescence. It limits sexuality to sexual intercourse and reduces decisions about sexual behavior to whether an adolescent will or will not engage in it. Back to SchoolJuly 31, 2000
by Nan Stein, Ed.D. Going back to school this year is going to be unlike any other year; there are extra metal detectors, armed guards, extra security cameras, clipped on photo ids, missing lockers, and more restrictive dress codes. But, this school year also includes extra protection for students who have been sexually harassed by their peers. Read more. A Lasting Gift for All MothersApril 30, 2000by Susan McGee Bailey, Ph.D. In 1914, Congress designated the second Sunday in May "as a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country." These days, Mother’s Day often means children of all ages presenting flowers and cards to their moms. Originally, however, the early U.S. movements to found Mother’s Day focused not on individual women, but on the issues women have cared about and worked for throughout history. And, today, these issues still need attention. A lasting Mother’s Day gift goes beyond honoring one mother and speaks to the needs of all mothers and their children. The Million Mom March addresses one critical need, gun control, but violence against women and children is broader and deeper and gun control is only a partial solution. The Gender Wars in EducationDecember 14, 1999by Susan McGee Bailey, Ph.D. and Patricia B. Campbell, Ph.D. The gender wars in education are heating up again. Too much of the current dialog on the education of girls and boys has the sound of a prize fight. In one corner are those who say that boys, not girls are shortchanged in school. In fact, they say, the attention paid to girls has harmed boys. In the other corner are those who contend that boys are fine and that girls are the ones with the real problems. The bell rings and the two sides come out swinging, each with its own set of statistics to prove not only that their side is the truly shortchanged, but that it is the fault of the "other side." Asking Some Unasked QuestionsSeptember 30, 1999
by Deborah Tolman, Ed.D.
Experts, including Senior Research Scientist Deborah Tolman, who work with teens and families offered their perspectives on a FRONTLINE report (The Lost Children of Rockdale County), which aired on PBS on October 20, 1999. A syphilis outbreak in an affluent community uncovers the hidden lives of troubled teenagers. Is it Isolated, or Everywhere? Read more. |
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