Given that the news on the economic front is so scary, I was pleased to read that the Pew Research Center released survey results last week that showed that women are making more decisions in collaboration with their partners than ever before. The poll asked people who were married or living together as a couple about decision-making in four categories, finances, weekend activities, television choices and big-ticket purchases.

Source: Pew Research Center

The results show that women make more of the decisions in 43% of the households, men make more decisions in 26% of the households and 31% of couples share the decision-making equally. And, when asked about who handles the remote control, people report that women control it in 27% of households, men in 26% and in 25% or homes, couples decide together what to watch on TV. (The remaining 25% decide individually because they watch on different TVs or watch their favorite programs alone.)

It seems that the days when men made decisions unilaterally are history.

My thoughts:

• Couples who share decision-making are less likely to blame one another if it turns out that the decision was wrong. That helps keep your relationship happy!
• If you are in a relationship where you are not sharing in the decision-making (especially if the decision is about something more important about what TV show to watch), you need to change the game.
• Interestingly, the survey results showed twice as many people aged 65 or older said they share equally in making decisions as did those under the age of 30. If you are under 30, think about how you can assert yourself.

TAGS: decision-making, men and women, power, women and families

A friend sent me an article, Why Are So Many Women Depressed, by Dennis Prager.  She wanted to know what I thought of it.  My first thought was why would anyone with half a brain put his name to this absurd nonsense.  The net-net of the piece is that feminism unrealistically raised the expectations of women and failed to deliver.  Hence, feminism is at the core of a high incidence of depression among women.  Prager then has the audacity to claim, “ For most women — of course, not all — careers are not nearly as fulfilling as are a good marriage and family.”  Dennis… from where did you pull these numbers? Or, to paraphrase Jerry Maquire, “Show me the study.”  Psychologist Anna Freud had it right when she said, “It’s the good, capable, conscientious woman who is more likely to be depressed than her counterparts.” Maybe if we lived in a society where women weren’t forced to choose between a career and family they wouldn’t be so depressed.  Maybe if the full range of a woman’s capabilities were acknowledged and utilized without her having to dumb down so as not to offend male bosses, colleagues, brothers, or husbands women wouldn’t be so depressed.  And maybe — just maybe — if people like Dennis Prager spent less time focusing on what’s wrong with women and more time focused on what’s right with them despite the choices they make, women wouldn’t be so depressed.  Now you know what I think about the article.  What do YOU think? 

TAGS: Dennis Prager, Feminism, women and careers, Women and Depression, women and families