Joan Blades

Joan Blades is a co-founder of Moveon.org and Berkeley Systems with her husband Wes Boyd. She was chosen as one of Ms. Magazine’s “Women of the Year” in 2003 and is the author, with Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, of The Motherhood Manifesto (Nation Books, May 2006). She lives in Northern California. Abstract: Motherhood—the dream, the reality, the next political movement A common sense look at the most important issues facing American mothers today — and a blueprint for change — from the founder of MoveOn.org and a leading feminist writer. Motherhood in America is at a critical juncture. As women’s roles evolve, more women than ever are in the workforce and more children than ever are raised without a stay-at-home parent. At the same time, public and private policies that affect parenting and the workplace remain largely unchanged. The result? Parents, and mothers in particular, struggle to balance the needs of their children with the demands of their jobs. Some would argue mothers just need to find the proper balance between parenting and career, Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner believe there is more to it than that. In The Motherhood Manifesto, Blades and Rowe-Finkbeiner argue that it’s time for a broad change in America’s support for mothers and families. In both public and private sectors, radical shifts are needed to make parenting and the workplace compatible. The Motherhood Manifesto identifies and challenges the obstacles facing mothers today, and proposes concrete solutions. Scheduled for release to tie-in with Mother’s Day, May 14, 2006, the book is an integral part of a movement building to champion the issues of motherhood and family: Moms Rising. For more information, please visit: www.momrising.org. With dozens of contributors, many of them mothers, The Motherhood Manifesto features the very personal stories of mothers, bringing home the reality of family needs and the opportunities for positive change. Videography and Production provided by Lotus Crown Films. www.lotuscrownfilms.com