Book Review: Sharing the Work by Wendy Bertrand, Architect As many of you know, I wrote my memoir and I am determined that feminist theory be applied to architecture, so when architect Lucy Irwin lent me Myra Strober’s memoir about feminism and economics, I read it with great attention. The book is Sharing the Work: What My Family and Career Taught Me about Breaking Through (and Holding the Door Open for Others), MIT Press, 2016. Lucy mentioned to me that Strober’s resilience and willingness to fight over and over again to be heard stood out as important for her, as when Strober persisted in seeking ways to continue her work and be a fully contributing economist while raising two children, even when others in her family repeatedly questioned her drive and ambition. Work and Family is the name of a class Professor Strober introduced at the Stanford School of Education in the early 2000’s, and she reported that it took time to catch on but that, “…by 2012 had 40% men taking the class. They (the men) write papers with titles like ‘How Can I be the Best Father I’m Capable of Being?’ and ‘What Are the Effects of Childcare on Children?’” Strober forged new ground at every opportunity, especially when her superiors allowed her to try new things. This class went forward despite doubts that there would be enough material. She dared to present new ideas, as we all must. Myra Strober became aware of feminist issues early in her career and tells how she struggled with trying to convince her first husband, a research physician, to share the domestic work of family while they both had full time careers and two children. She was at the forefront of feminist activism in economics, helping to found the Michelle Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford, and she tells of other feminist activities like presenting papers at meetings of the American Economic Association, equivalent to AIA, as early as 1971. She also recounts how in 1993 Diana Strassmann’s paper “Rethinking Economics through a Feminist Lens” kicked off the formation of the International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE), an independent nonprofit entity (like OWA+DP but with a stated feminist agenda), which after three years had more than 500 members. After being a co-editor to the journal, she served as president from 1996-1998. “Although most mainstream economists completely ignore feminist economics (it’s just a fad, most of them say), Feminist Economics becomes a prestigious journal, wins an award as the best new academic journal, and is accepted as a journal that should be indexed. In other words, feminist economics’ reception is far better outside the economics profession than within.” In her memoir, a candid Myra Strober shares her personal as well as her professional life and her accomplishments of lasting gains for feminism. She also worked to facilitate interdisciplinary academic groups*, to increase public childcare, to enhance equity in divorce settlements, and to make salary levels public. She was aware that she was being underpaid and yet it took her almost 20 years to prove it and remedy the reality for herself and others, along with others working to do so, usually through the courts. Strober’s insights into the enormous issue of work and family convincingly show that we need more cultural understanding around childcare public policy and childcare givers’ training. I like her open discussion on the true partnership components of marriage too. This is an inspiring and helpful read (222 pages) for any couple, working parent, or manager. But I also hope it will suggest to urban designers, planners, architects and interior designers that there are feminist issues for us to pay more attention to and be engaged in. Only one biography in 10 in the entire English language is of a woman’s life since 1970. However, memoir writing need not, and must not be only for the masculine and the famous. Even without it being championed in universities, in the literature, or in architectural practice, I continue to beat the drum for more women designers and architects to tell their histories. Reflecting and writing your story is personally empowering and will inspire others. We need to build our women’s history. Consider writing yours or encouraging others to write. Thank you Myra for Sharing the Work. *Interdisciplinary Conversations: Challenging Habits of Thought (Myra Strober, Stanford University Press, 2010) |
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Newsletter | Jul/Aug 2016