We hope at least one of these articles speaks to you – but hey, we wouldn’t be surprised if you’re compelled to read ‘em all (we did):

1 | What Employers Need to Do for Working Parents, by Vivien Labaton (Fast Company)

Parenting is always tough. It’s stressful even with an active partner who shares equally in parenting and household responsibilities and with all the support—and artisanal pizza—that a middle-class life in Brooklyn affords. I have something millions of Americans don’t: a job that allows me to juggle work and family year-round.

2 | Five Encouraging Moments for Mothers at the State of the Union, by Tabby Biddle (Huffington Post)

The State of the Union came and went. President Obama challenged Congress to recapture a sense of common purpose that, as he put it, has always propelled America forward. “In two weeks, I will send this Congress a budget filled with ideas that are practical, not partisan. And in the months ahead, I’ll crisscross the country making a case for those ideas,” said the president. Some of those ideas will be good news to mothers around the country. That is, if we can get our representatives on board.

3 | Laughing Planet Cafe, known for its burritos, adds parental leave to its menu, George Rede  (The Oregonian)

Laughing Planet Cafe, the purveyor of some of Portland’s favorite burritos, has decided to provide paid parental leave for its employees. The company announced on its Facebook page Wednesday: “On the heels of President Obama’s State of Union Address last night, Laughing Planet Café is proud to announce that we will now be offering Paid Parental Leave to our employees. In doing so we join the ranks of other esteemed burrito-loving companies such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter.”

4 | Study: Male Scientists want to be involved dads, but few are, Brigid Schulte (The Washington Post)

For years, people have been puzzling over why there are so few women in science, technology, engineering and math, and why the university professors who teach the subjects are predominantly men. Is it genetics? Preference? Caregiving responsibilities? An unwelcoming environment?

Turns out, according to a new study released Thursday on men in academic science, it may have a lot to do with the boss. The majority of tenured full professors at some of the most prestigious universities in the country, who have the most power to hire and fire and set the workplace expectation of long hours, are men who have either a full-time spouse at home who handles all caregiving and home duties, or a spouse with a part-time or secondary career who takes primary responsibility for the home.

The post Must Reads | February 2015 appeared first on Family Forward Oregon.

As a member of Family Forward Action (Family Forward Oregon’s grassroots sister organization), we know you’re as wound up about the need for better work-family policies – and the culture change that must come with it – as we are.

Which is why we are posting this first monthly “must-read” group of articles just for members. There is so much good thinking and writing on the issues we work on these days that it’s a shame not to share it with the very people we know will enjoy it most. Plus, we think humor is an incredible messenger, so be prepared to laugh!

We hope at least one of these articles speaks to you – but hey, we wouldn’t be surprised if you’re compelled to read ‘em all (we did):

1 | A Working Mother’s Plea to the President, by Megan Long (NY Times)

I have such trouble wrapping my head around the thought and accepting the fact that we don’t have a paid maternity leave applicable to us. We are not given a fighting shot to be able to stay afloat while getting the critical bonding time with our babies that both our children and we as mothers need.  Read the full article here. (Then this terrific reply from the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Thomas E. Perez)

2 | Paternity Leave: The Rewards and the Remaining Stigma, by Claire Cain Miller (Huffington Post)

Social scientists who study families and work say that men like Mr. Bedrick, who take an early hands-on role in their children’s lives, are likely to be more involved for years to come and that their children will be healthier. Even their wives could benefit, as women whose husbands take paternity leave have increased career earnings and have a decreased chance of depression in the nine months after childbirth. But researchers also have a more ominous message. Taking time off for family obligations, including paternity leave, could have long-term negative effects on a man’s career — like lower pay or being passed over for promotions. Read the full article here.

3 | Meet The Working Mother Taking Her Pregnancy Discrimination Case To The Supreme Court, by Dave Jamieson (Huffington Post)

When Peggy Young became pregnant in 2006, she had every intention of continuing to work delivering packages for UPS in Maryland. At the urging of the company’s occupational health manager, Young visited her doctor to obtain a note detailing any work restrictions she might need. Her doctor recommended that she not lift more than 20 pounds for the first 20 weeks of her pregnancy.

Based on the doctor’s note, UPS placed Young on unpaid leave, an all too common experience for women nationwide. Although UPS often put workers with other conditions on light duty, it told Young that such accommodations wouldn’t apply to an “off-the-job” condition such as her pregnancy. Not only would she lose her income, she would have to suddenly switch to her husband’s health insurance plan, changing the hospitals at which she could potentially give birth. Read the full article here.

We invite you to share one or more of these articles with your friends and family.  Not just because they’re interesting and important, but because when you bring more eyes and hearts and minds to these topics, you’re contributing to culture change. And without culture change, there is no policy change. And for good policy to work, we need culture change.

So go ahead, contribute to a little culture change by sharing what you’re reading. We’ll get farther faster that way.

PS – Here’s the part where you laugh (at least we did!):

GRESHAM, OR—Underscoring the benefits of working for a laid-back company like SocialFire Marketing, founder and CEO Matt Avalon told reporters Tuesday he had instituted an office-wide policy permitting employees to work from home anytime after 6 p.m. “If it helps them be efficient and get more done, I have no problem with people working remotely once they’ve left the office for the day,” said Avalon, who noted that as long as they’re doing their jobs, the location where his staff members choose to work between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. is “completely up to them.” “That’s the kind of relaxed culture we strive to create here—one where you can even be working from your living room couch at two in the morning if you’d like.” Avalon added that since they don’t have to be in the office for any meetings, employees are free to work from home on weekends and holidays as well.

Visit this Onion piece here.

The post Member “Must Reads” for November 2014 appeared first on Family Forward Oregon.