Here at FMF, we are encouraged to examine and be aware of discrimination in the world around us. Still, I never really thought of the technology section of the New York Times as fodder for feminist blogging, which is why I was surprised when I visited David Pogue's technology blog, "Pogue's Posts," this afternoon. Let that be a lesson to me--constant vigilance!Pogue writes about the tools that help him to be efficient as he writes a weekly column and a daily blog, travels extensively, publishes multiple books per year, and is all-around busy and important. The list contains mostly what you would think--tips for using technology to be more efficient, such as typing-expanding software and calendar programs. However, as a last point, he notes:
"I’m lucky enough that I don’t spend time on bills, taxes, travel arrangements, kid-activity scheduling, and so on; my sainted wife takes care of all that administrative overhead."
How lucky for Pogue; as a successful man, his brilliant mind does not have to be bogged down by childcare, household finances, and all the daily drudgery of ordinary life. Let's ignore for the moment that he refers to taking care of his children as "administrative overhead." It is the main premise of the article--look at how clever and impressive technology allows me to be!--that bothers me. I suspect that it is, in fact, his administrative assistant-cum-spouse, rather than his mad keyboard-shortcut skills, that makes his life so manageable. Of course, my question is this: while his wife is busy with all those mundane details, does she get to have a career?
I'm not impressed, Mr. Pogue. Try writing those multiple books and nationwide columns while juggling your kids' soccer practices, balancing the checkbook, and playing secretary to a sanctimonious spouse, and then we'll talk.
5 comments:
How many times has my older brother said that he had to "babysit" his own children? Sexism is everywhere. Everywhere. It is very sad.
It's a callous comment, to be sure ("administrative overhead"), but I'd like to offer up the possibility that as a prolific (and funny) writer, Pogue was simply reaching for new, witty metaphors.
I'm not saying that this is a good excuse. Sexism and racism and most other isms surface through what the offender believes to be wit and/or humor. But without knowing David Pogue personally (nor you FMF folks, nor you writergal), I optimistically (foolishly?) believe that he means no harm and that focusing on his blog post as a general anecdote for covert sexism is off-target... in other words, replacing macro- with micro-.
He deserves someone bringing this gaffe to his attention, but to assume, based off of this one phrase, that he considers his wife an administrative assistant is to assume you have greater understanding of his own spousal relationship than he does. While not impossible, I find this unlikely.
That is all. I like your blog and the attention you bring to these issues.
Hm; I still don't get it. What's callous about acknowledging the critical role that my wife plays--and, by the way, one that she has chosen for herself?
She's no 50's happy-homemaker, if that makes you feel better. She was a successful plastic surgeon, decided she didn't like it, and quit to work with me. She's been essential in building "the business," which is why I acknowledged it in the blog post.
Is it the phrase "administrative overhead" that bothers you?
I think it's clear to anyone with a life that the nuts and bolts of running a household and a business, as my wife does, are anything but trivial. Could it be that YOU are minimizing the importance of those administrative tasks that my wife performs--not me?
Put another way: how would YOU have characterized the roles that my wife does, as I described them?
--Pogue
Way to go Maria for getting a post back from Pogue! It is now my understanding that Maria was trying to emphasize how important the work that Mrs. Pogue does is. It is Mrs. Pogue's selfless work that furthers the work that Mr. Pogue is capable of doing with that given free time.
However, suggesting that Maria thinks Mrs. Pogue's work is unimportant is totally ridiculous. She has clearly pointed out how important the work is, and Mr. Pogue is the one to say that he does not have to be the one spending HIS time doing such "administrative overhead." I am glad that Mr. Pogue is grateful for his wife's work, but he is the one who has brought up the fact that he is "lucky" to not have to deal with such work.
Ugh Blogger ate my 1st comment. Thanks everyone for the great feedback!
Feminist economists characterize house work as reproductive labor. Child care, food production, chores, and the associated time and energy women spend obtaining resources for their home and families are critical for a productive society. This is not to suggest women should stay at home, but is a way to re-conceptualize and value household labor.
Neoclassical economics does not include household labor in micro and macro economic activity, and it is not counted in productivity measures, which minimizes the contributions women make to our societies.
Gary Becker, Nancy Folbre, Barbara Bergmann, Julie Nelson, Amartya Sen, the Feminist Economics journal, and other academics have contributed a lot toward creating gender-aware microeconomic models.
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