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Women In |
Greetings and welcome back—hope this finds you warm, healthy and safe. A host of new ideas are percolating in Washington and beyond about ways to financially boost families and caregivers. The Biden administration and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah have each floated plans for tax credits that could send parents up to $250 per month per child, proposals aimed at reducing child poverty that resemble existing benefits in countries such as France. Writing on the Biden and Romney ideas, the Journal’s Greg Ip notes that the measures, delivered to families as a monthly allowance, would amount to a universal basic income for children. Nearly all families would be eligible, Mr. Ip notes, making it the only major benefit in the U.S. that achieves near universality—reframing the way we think about the social safety net. |
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| Proposals to change the child tax credit seek to reduce child poverty, which is higher in the U.S. than in most advanced countries. PHOTO: CHARLIE RIEDEL/ASSOCIATED PRESS |
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Outside Washington, another proposal calls on the government to put a dollar figure on mothers’ unpaid labor. Dubbed a “Marshall Plan for Moms” and backed by high-profile activists, it proposes paying mothers $2,400 a month, partly as a form of stimulus for those who have slipped from the workforce while taking on schooling and care duties. Although the plan for moms seems a less likely policy prospect than child allowances, it has sparked conversations about the economic value of caregiving. Ideas like these start to edge away from long-held assumptions that caregiving is a private responsibility, figured out by families (usually, women) however they can swing it. The last year has exploded that idea—sending many working parents to the breaking point, but also pushing companies, and now the government, to acknowledge the full scope of individuals’ responsibilities on and off the job. On a related note, the Journal is hosting an afternoon of conversations next month about women, managing money and finding financial freedom in uncertain times. Find out more details here. On to more news. —Nikki |
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BOTCHED VACCINATION ROLLOUT: The creation of Covid-19 vaccines was a triumph. So why has it taken so long to vaccinate Americans? Distribution sites are still recovering from initial errors with misallocated supplies and fragmented communication. |
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BACK TO SCHOOL?: The debate over restarting in-person schooling around the country is growing tense, pitting teachers against parents and neighbors against neighbors. |
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WOMEN AND STOCKS: Women investors largely sat out the riskiest punts taken on stocks such as GameStop. That may be a good thing, considering the videogame retailer’s stock is down more than 80% from its late-January peak. But the low number of women in stock-market investing overall is a problem—both for markets and for female investors. |
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AN ACTION PLAN ON CLIMATE: Bill Gates’s next project: saving the planet from mass extinction. His latest book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, is an optimistic take on the issue, with can-do solutions. He says a reckoning has to go beyond agriculture and electricity to encompass all carbon-spewing processes (transportation; concrete and steel production) so that we can develop green alternatives. |
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TECH FASHION: Some women in tech are countering the industry’s standard uniform of hoodies and Allbirds with statement tops, androgynous pantsuits in sorbet shades, and unabashedly large earrings. One fashion expert who advises women in the industry says her goal is to make these women “look as smart as they are.” |
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Amy Dockser Marcus, Reporter WSJ: What is your current role at WSJ? ADM: I am a health and science reporter. I focus on science and society, covering genetics, DNA, and rare diseases, among other topics. Lately, like most health and science reporters, I have been writing a lot about the Covid-19 pandemic. |
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WSJ: What was your first writing job? ADM: When I was 12, I wrote a weekly column for our town newspaper called, “The Young Reader.” I reviewed children’s books from the perspective of a child. The newspaper paid me $5 for each column but the real thrill was seeing my byline each week. WSJ: What is a recent story you worked on that moved you? ADM: I wrote an article about people with Covid-19 infections organizing themselves to do research on the disease. I write frequently about citizen science, the phenomenon when patients create and run their own scientific experiments. During a devastating and difficult time, Covid-19 citizen scientists gathered data on symptoms that weren’t initially getting attention from doctors. They are helping drive broader changes in how scientific knowledge is generated that are likely to continue beyond the pandemic. WSJ: Where do you go for inspiration outside of your beat? ADM: I often go to a park near the Charles River in Boston. It’s on the site of a former grist mill and there’s a waterfall. I like to watch the leaves change colors in the fall, the water freeze in the winter, and then the slow thawing as spring arrives. I recently learned that an island in the middle of the park is named after a character in a Harriet Beecher Stowe novel, so there’s even a connection to writing. WSJ: What is your biggest tip for helping other women? ADM: Reach out to and learn from other women whose work—and work ethic—inspires you. They have faced the issues you are going through. They made it, and so can you. |
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A WALK IN THE PARK: As people spend more time indoors, scientific research says spending time in nature boosts health and longevity. That means being in fresh air, under trees and away from cars and concrete—on a regular basis. And, no, Peloton doesn’t count. |
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UNCOMMON PORTRAITS: Artist Kehinde Wiley, who painted the official presidential portrait of Barack Obama, speaks about his defining moment, his process, and why he listens to audiobooks while he works. |
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PANDEMIC RV TRIP: A couple traded their Manhattan apartment for a 40-foot motor home last fall. They imagined crisscrossing the U.S., camping by peaceful lakes and mountain streams, but even getting on the road was a challenge. |
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SHANGRI-LA, FOR REAL: One writer took a road trip to the real Shangri-La in western Tibet and found an eroded jumble of buildings and caves sitting atop a promontory overlooking the silted gray waters of the “elephant river.” Read the true story of a mythic place. |
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Articles in today's Women In newsletter were selected by Nikki Waller, Deputy Business Editor; with assistance from Ebony Reed, New Audiences Chief; Lora Western, Deputy Editor, Publishing Desk; and Anne Michaud, Audience Voice Reporter. |
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