How Our Work-first Culture Fails Dads, Families, and Business and How We Can Fix It Together
March 16, 2015
CNN reporter Levs issues an articulate call for men to fight against the laws, policies, and stigmas preventing them from fully participating in their families’ lives. As he points out, this is no longer a 1950s Father Knows Best world; today “men and women are sharing child-rearing and household responsibilities.” Still, Levs believes attitudes haven’t changed enough, quoting Sheryl Sandberg’s astute observation that we’ve changed the workplace, but not the home. When he first joined CNN, he was astonished to find that a generous parental leave policy applied to any kind of parent, both birth and adoptive, except for a biological father. After a year of fighting, the policy was changed. Levs takes on issues both concrete (parental leave, the tax system, paid family leave) and societal (the doofus dad stereotype, the fear of men as predators, the stigma against men taking time off work for family.) His practical solutions—like helping businesses to afford family leave by lowering taxes—are solid, but when he argues that men are ill-served by the current system, his tone becomes shrill and less convincing. Lev’s thoughtful plea for men and women to work together is more persuasive, providing a useful guide for those looking to effect change in their own workplaces and communities. Agent: Mollie Glick, Foundry Literary + Media.