No Images? Click here
 

Greetings friends: 
Welcome to the Better Life Lab Newsletter!

New America's Breadwinning & Caregiving Program is now the Better Life Lab

Here are five things you need to know this week to make your life better at work and at home:

Shutterstock

Telling the story of unpaid work

Unpaid work has a branding problem — but the Better Life Lab’s Global Gender Parity Initiative is trying to change that. Though unpaid work is the foundation of the economy, it’s often invisible, unmeasured, and vaguely defined, Elizabeth Weingarten and Zuzana Boehmová write. A new report from GGPI and POLITICO Focus provides fascinating insights into global influencers’ perceptions of unpaid work and the powerful role journalism can play in moving this issue into the spotlight.  

The highest-profile unpaid job in the world may be the First Lady’s. Following our “Remember the Ladies” event with the Political Reform program, Susannah Howe writes that, though the first lady’s role has changed over time, it continues to reflect our contradictory and confining expectations of American womanhood — including long hours of unpaid work.

 
 
Shutterstock

 Who cares about care? 

The White House’s United State of Women Summit brought together thousands of women this week, including New America’s Anne-Marie Slaughter and BLL staff. At the summit, New America, Care.com, and Caring Across Generations announced the Who Cares Coalition, a new partnership to spearhead a broad-based social change movement redefining the cultural norms, behaviors, business practices, and policies around caregiving in the US. We even made it onto the White House’s United State of Women fact sheet! Learn more about the summit, check out the reading list, and follow the conversation with #StateOfWomen.

 
 

All work...

We all know that Americans work a lot — but, surprisingly, new research shows that long hours of (paid) work have become a marker of privilege, with white male professionals working significantly more than people of color, women, or workers in less prestigious fields. Work, not leisure, is the new status symbol.

But these long hours can have serious consequences for our health, and even our productivity, David Templeton writes for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Overwork has been linked to weight gain, substance abuse, stroke, and other physical and psychological symptoms. And, though Americans spend more time at the office than workers in most other countries, those hours don’t necessarily translate into increased productivity or profit.

...and no play

Despite some workers' long hours, many Americans have more leisure time than in the past, a result of men’s shrinking labor-force participation, the rise of retirement, and increased efficiency in household chores, The Upshot finds. The exception? Women, who are doing more work outside the home yet continue to do the lion’s share of household labor. Disparities like these lead to “time poverty” for women in developing countries as well as richer ones, writes Melinda Gates. Reducing women’s burden of unpaid work would give them the time to pursue education, business ventures, and other new skills.

Father knows best?

Another important piece of the gender equality puzzle: dads need to step up, and policy needs to help them, Gary Barker and Elizabeth Weingarten write for TIME following the release of Promundo’s new “State of America’s Fathers” report. Though men want to be more involved caregivers, the report suggests, supportive policies and cultural norms just don’t exist. In an accompanying video, dads share personal narratives and tell us why this issue matters.

Upcoming Better Life Lab Events: Join Us!

TODAY, June 14: Women on the Run. In the latest event in New America’s Women’s Decision series, Danny Hayes and Jennifer Lawless join BLL and the Political Reform Program to launch their new book Women on the Run: Gender, Media, and Political Campaigns in a Polarized Era. Come to New America for a conversation on what campaign discourse gets wrong about female candidates and how to fix politics’ persistent gender gap. 

June 22: No Startup Left Behind. Join New America CA for a conversation with tech startups across San Francisco who have successfully navigated the challenging terrain of paid leave to find out how you, too, can create a policy that works in your company, and why having paid leave is ultimately better for your bottom line. 

June 23: Care Documentary Premiere. Join us for the North American premiere of Care at AFI Docs. The film delves deep into the world of eldercare — and how vulnerable we all are to the next economic crisis to hit our homes.

That's a wrap for this week! We'll look forward to seeing your inbox again soon, but in the meantime, you can always find us on Twitter @BetterLifeLab. Have a great week! 

 

Follow us on Twitter @BetterLifeLab — and suggest your best reads on living a better life by tweeting at us!

Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here!

 
 

About New America

New America is dedicated to the renewal of American politics, prosperity, and purpose in the Digital Age. Our hallmarks are big ideas, pragmatic policy solutions, technological innovation, and creative engagement with broad audiences. Read the rest of our story, or see what we've been doing recently in our latest Annual Report.

About the Better Life Lab

New America’s Breadwinning & Caregiving Program is thrilled to unveil a new name, the Better Life Lab, and an updated agenda to transform policy and culture so that people and families have the opportunity to live their best lives at work and at home. As a “lab,” we are dedicated to disruptive experiments, collaborative work, and innovative thinking.

“Your Life, Better: News From the Better Life Lab” will be our way to keep you in the know, featuring the best of what we’re reading and writing about gender equity, the evolution of work, and social policies that support 21st-century families. We will be a clear signal amid the noise to share what’s fresh and crucial to an inclusive vision of work-life, gender, and income equity issues.

Meet the Better Life Lab Team

Brigid Schulte, Program Director, Director of The Good Life Initiative, award-winning journalist, formerly of The Washington Post, and author of Overwhelmed: Work, Love & Play when No One has the Time
Follow Brigid on Twitter

Elizabeth Weingarten, Deputy Director, Director of GGPI
Follow Elizabeth on Twitter

Alieza Durana, Policy Analyst 
Follow Alieza on Twitter

Liza Mundy, Senior Fellow and author of The Richer Sex
Follow Liza on Twitter

Katherine Zoepf, Fellow and author of Excellent Daughters
Follow Katherine on Twitter

Jay Newton-Small, National Fellow and author of Broad Influence
Follow Jay on Twitter

Jane Carr, Editorial Fellow and Opinion Producer at CNN
Follow Jane on Twitter

 
 

Better Life Lab

Real choices. Real parity. All people.