OpEd: Working Women and Pregnancy
Hello BOXsters!
I know it’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to actually write more for you. As most of our readers are aware, I’m the half of the terrific media duo that is the “New York City Taylors”; thus, I run more than two media corporations, as well as edit this eZine and host three radio broadcasts for our network, HTLA Radio One New York. I do this with the complete support and encouragement of my husband and handler, Christopher John Taylor.
Were that not enough for this Summer of Superness, before September, we are moving to our new home Upstate before our eleven year old starts sixth grade … and before the child that I’m carrying, is born.
At our latest team meeting, however, it has been resolved that I will spend more time editing and creating my OpEd postings for theBOX; and, less on the more physically demanding tasks such as development and production of media products – and the running about to meetings to facilitate same.
So, based on this decision, this week, I’d like to write about something I find a most compelling topic, currently – Working Women and Pregnancy.
I’d come across a news blurb this morning of the Malaysian Olympian, Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi. She is a shooting competitor, who finished her events in 34th place; a respect-worthy enough place out of the 47 total competitors chosen for her events. But, her ranking isn’t what attracted me to the story. What gave me pause was the backlash that her being eight months pregnant, and participating in the games, in shooting events no less, that had me stunned.
Now, yes, I am nearly eight months pregnant and I am still working almost sixteen hour days with our various ventures; albeit, from our home offices. My greatest fear is, perhaps, that the doctor will tell me within the next few weeks that I cannot do all I’m doing and must stop until the baby is born. Well, everything would fall apart if I did that! Don’t they know that mothers run the world?
That is the irony and impetus for this piece.
I, also, wouldn’t be putting my dreams of glory on hold for another four years if I were in Ms. Taibi’s shoes. I likely would have shown up to London, as well. Why? Because life, goals and the attainment of them don’t stop for nine months because you’re incubating a little one; It’s why a quality of life and goals are created and pursued in the first place!
Surprisingly, in this day and age where feminism runs rampant (the unaltered ideology of which I find is to the detriment of our healthy needs for family and society as a whole), the support for Ms. Taibi is very low.
Ah, perhaps the tide and sentiment marked by the above statement is turning and waning?
The commentary about her decision to travel by air, then to shoot a loud and powerful weapon in the midst of hundreds of thousands of spectators and other loud and powerful weapons, is overwhelmingly negative. From accusations of her intentionally harming her baby to assumptions about how this mother must live and what kind of tragic life this unborn child will have, I am shocked and saddened that in this supposedly enlightened era we still think any of us are qualified or have the right to criticize another.
I have to say that, I’m appalled. I wonder how those spewing this ignorant hatred would fare if their life and choices were placed under the global microscope for such scrutiny?
That is another topic though, the assumptive and ignorant. Today, I’d like to talk about those that say mothers should stay home on bedrest if they love their baby, versus those that are adamant that a woman could and should work until she’s wheeled into the delivery room (my husband, for example … no, just kidding … um, no, not really! Actually, for all of eternity in print media here, I have the best babyDaddy in the world – anything I need or want is mine to simply ask for, I know that).
So, who gets to decide what’s best for mother and baby? How about this: the mother of the baby!
I say this because, having this child later in life than is usual, compounded by the volume and time that the world knows I work, has offered me unsolicited opinion and criticism, as well. I’ve also had doctors proffer warnings, orders and commentary, that my husband and I felt was given as more of a generic aside, than a true medical concern pertaining to my individual situation.
If she is healthy, capable and confident that her decision is not harmful, who are we to question the judgment of someone we don’t even know and whom we’ve only even seen in the briefest moment on a television screen? What of the long term benefit to the child by its mother’s participation in the attainment of her dreams?
How much jealousy and hatred will society direct toward this woman for making a decision that the rest of us (well, the rest of you) would be too afraid to make? What if someone’s opinion dictated what memories you held in your heart for the rest of your life? Don’t you have better things to do than say bad things about a fellow human being?
I want to hear from you…
Write me at editor@insideboxmag.com or kTaylor@HTLA973.com
I’m interested to see what our readers think – if they’ve had similar discriminations or how they would handle the situation if they haven’t but were put in the position to defend their most private decisions.
Follow-Up will be forthcoming.
Until then, thank you for reading and continuing to support our endeavors.
kateTaylor™
Editor-in-Chief
About Kate Taylor - BOX Editor
