I just finished reading 'The Moment of Lift, How Empowering Women Changes the World', by Melinda Gates. I'll point out here the parts that I found especially interesting as they relate to paid leave. I know there are many other aspects of the book that are worth taking in and commenting about but I want to focus on what she writes about paid leaves, who are the people (mostly women organizing to obtain changes) and how it relates to my own experience as a temp with a Microsoft's contractor trying to obtain paid leave, as described in 'The Other Microsoft" and this blog.
On page 193, she writes: "The lack of paid maternity leave -and paid parental leave- is an embarrassing sign of a society that does not value families and does not listen to women".
Page 199: "Every successful effort to bring in outsiders has always had help from insider activists who do the work of reform from within".
Page 234 and following: Section titled "A workplace compatible with family life'.
"We have to create a workplace that is compatible with family life. This requires support from the top, perhaps with a push from below."
"Perhaps with a push from below'?
Page 235: "When I reflect on my time as a manager at Microsoft, I can think of so many moments when I could have done more to make the culture kinder to families. My leadership on this issue wasn't great"...
Page 237: ..." the company didn't have a policy on paid family and medical leave and neither did the country. Now the company does, but the country still doesn't."
Page 240: ..." groups of sex workers in India who proved that when women organize, they can soar every barrier described in this book."
Page 244: in Calcutta... " we had to step over homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk. It was morally wrenching."
Page 249: "something more effective and pervasive, the power of women coming together, finding their voices and speaking up for their rights... Empowerment starts with getting together..."
Page 251: " the courage to band together and demand their rights"...
Page 252: "ask for what we want, especially when no one wants us to have it"...
Page 261: "women need to meet, talk, organize and lead,, so we can break the walls and open the doors for everyone"...
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