The New Paradigm Project:
Women, Men, Work, Family, and Public Policy
Having made enormous strides in researching the role of women in the home and the workplace, feminist leaders influenced by the visionary leadership of Betty Friedan, increasingly recognize the need to focus on transforming feminist ideals and practices into societal priorities. The Institute for Women and Work at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) at Cornell University has undertaken a four-year Washington-based project, under the directorship of Betty Friedan, Distinguished Visiting Professor at Cornell, to create a series of working symposia, roundtable strategy sessions, and research conferences to address such crucial matters as (1) the restructured workplace and its impact on working families from low to mid-level income occupations; (2) the need for corporate social responsibility and labor law reform in an age of international competition; (3) the need for legislative initiatives on child care, contingent work, and universal health care. The project also aims to identify and unite the common concerns of groups traditionally polarized by ethnic, racial, national, and gender differences regarding the balance between workplace and family life.
To fulfill these objectives, the New Paradigm Project, generously funded by the Ford Foundation, has organized several forums, such as a women''s leadership forum on workplace issues in Washington, D.C., entitled "What Do Women Want? Leveraging Political Influence," and an international conference on "Gross Domestic Product versus Quality of Life: Balancing Work and Family," as well as a Working Symposia Series and Strategy Roundtables with key decision makers and scholars to discuss and recommend new labor and management practices and public policy interventions aimed at increasing gender and economic parity. Regularly produced working papers, publications and reports are announcing the findings and initiatives throughout the life of the project. The project, involving a diverse, multi-cultural base of experts and decision makers across a broad base of occupations, professions and political perspectives, is creating a new database of knowledge, ideas, and practices that better address the contemporary relations between the sexes and the marketplace while reshaping women''s issues as societal priorities. Co-sponsors of selected symposia and seminars will include the President''s Council of Cornell Women, the Council of National Women''s Organizations, the Institute for Women''s Policy Research, and the American Enterprise Institute.
This project presents an opportunity for faculty from Cornell University and other nationally recognized institutions to interact with leaders of the labor, academic and business communities, as well as members of the nation''s Washington-based think tanks who represent opposing viewpoints. Grounded in a combination of scholarship and practical expertise, the symposia series is exploring the hidden effects of the restructured workplace on the relations among jobs, home, and society by (1) clarifying the issues, (2) bringing theoretical and analytical rigor to the debate, and (3) designing new policies while attempting to create a new vision for the twenty-first century American workplace. Project activities are taking place in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Ithaca, NY.
Download The New Paradigm Symposia Series
