caitlin e shogren

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My own Feminine Ceiling

I think when it comes to discussing the glass ceiling, we not only have it in the workplace but in our perception of ourselves as women. In many of the references to the Glass Ceiling, women are seen as having a difficult time moving up in the workplace to keep up with men. I think we also have a hard time keeping up with the standards of femininity. We are expected at certain points to be the IT girl or woman. The standards are set very high, usually by a combination of celebrities' traits. It is expected that women reach this criteria or they are not a successful woman. While having these expectations can be good, like eating a healthy diet or exercising to get a bit of tone on your muscles, it can also be harmful when you want something that your body might not be able to give. Like in the Makers documentary, one of the daughters in part three talks about the struggles of trying to do it all by being a mother and being a successful full time employee. Sometimes that is able to work but quite a few times, reinforcement has to come in to help out. Being a child of a working mom and dad, I was taken care of by a babysitter most days and spent time with my parents when they came home and on the weekends. Me and my siblings loved our babysitter and still keep in contact despite years of her no longer being our babysitter. Having this other "mother" was what made my mom an "ultimate woman." Women helping women is what is needed to make the moms have it all. I think it is just too much to handle when it is by yourself. I think you can do it but it is when you are faced with few alternatives that you are able to do all these things and I don't think you could do them all the time.