What's All the Fuss About?

It seems that many women feel an escalating pressure to coordinate the ever-increasing components of her life, be the very best at each endeavor and strive to achieve even more. On the surface, this sounds like determination and self-improvement. But, are there other factors besides one's personality driving this internal struggle?

Perhaps this is a result of Western society's focus on status, its measurement of wealth and accomplishment, its ego. Perhaps our obsession with the idea that "bigger is better" is obligating women to continually vie for that corner office or the second job and to feel unsatisfied in the absence of that.

Why does there seem to be such a disparaging attitude towards women who, by choice or other obligations, step out of the work force to raise a family or run a household? Why is it that having a well-run said household, or even the best-dressed and well-behaved children, does not demand the same level of distinction or respect from society? From where does the stigma arise that sends fear into every stay-at-home-mother when she attempts to re-enter the paid working world and must "explain" her hiatus and therefore seeming lack of qualifications?

Is there a limit to this competition?

Is it possible to slow down and truly enjoy one's current situation for its unique benefits?

Is it unnatural for a woman to feel pulled in so many directions, wanting to feel successful in each aspect of life?

Is it necessary for a woman to change her personality simply to find satisfaction?

How does a woman calm the internal conflict which often arises when attempting to resolve these variables?

Is it wrong for a woman to Want It All, considering "It" may be any myriad combination of family, job and leisure which leads to personal satisfaction?

These are some of the issues I have struggled with since leaving my career more than five years ago to support my husband's new career. In that time, I have had incredible opportunities, for which I am very grateful, yet I still find myself with an unquenched inner voice seeking to reclaim and incorporate those aspects of my former life.

WHERE IS THE BALANCE ??

Join me as I attempt to find it...

Privacy Policy and Disclosure Statement

Privacy Policy
These policies are valid from December 1, 2010

Commitment to Online Security
Personal information submitted to The Reluctant Feminist is only accessible by the owner of this site.

Personal Information Collected at The Reluctant Feminist
Any personal information collected at The Reluctant Feminist is given freely by you and is not required to view, read, or use this site. The Reluctant Feminist may also collect certain non-personally identifiable information such as the date of your visit to the site, the type of browser you are using (e.g., Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.), the type of operating system you are using (e.g., Windows XP, Mac OS, etc.), the domain name of your Internet service provider (e.g., America Online, Comcast, etc.), and the IP Address of your computer.

The Reluctant Feminist does not collect or maintain information from those actually known to be under the age of 18 without the expressed permission from a parent or legal guardian, and the site is not structured to attract anyone under the age of 18.

How The Reluctant Feminist Uses Personal Information Collected Online
The Reluctant Feminist will not use your personal information for any purpose other than that for which it is submitted. We may use personal information to reply to inquiries and comments, provide operational notices, publish a newsletter, and program or sweepstakes participation. By completing an entry or registration form you are allowing us store your information in a database for retrieval at a future time for purposes of picking a winner for a giveaway or contacting you with site updates.

The Reluctant Feminist will never sell, rent or share your personal information with third-parties.

This blog is hosted by Blogger, a service of Google, and if you have any questions about the privacy of information you submit to Google you need to read Google's Privacy Policy.

In general, you are responsible for the information you submit in the form of a comment on a post on this blog. Your comments can be read by anyone and your profile can be viewed by anyone. You are allowed to post as an Anonymous reader as a way to help protect your privacy. This blog may use Google Docs forms for some of it's giveaways in order to collect information from readers.

Materials Submitted to The Reluctant Feminist
All photos, written correspondence and any other materials submitted to The Reluctant Feminist become the sole and exclusive property of The Reluctant Feminist and cannot be returned at any time. By submitting Materials, you agree that The Reluctant Feminist may, but is not obligated to, use the Materials in connection with the site, in any way, in any medium, worldwide, in perpetuity. Further, you warrant all Materials are 100% original and do not violate the right of privacy or publicity of, or constitute a defamation against, any person or entity; that the Materials will not infringe upon or violate the copyright or common law rights or any other rights of any person or entity; that there are and will be no encumbrances, liens, conditions or restrictions whatsoever upon or affecting such Materials; and that you and the person depicted in the Materials are at least 18 years of age or you are a parent or guardian granting permission for use. You agree to indemnify The Reluctant Feminist for all damages and expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising out of any breach or failure of the warranties made herein.

Computer Tracking and Cookies
Our site is not set up to track, collect or distribute personal information not entered by visitors. Our site logs do generate certain kinds of non-identifying site usage data, such as the number of hits and visits to our sites. This information is used for internal purposes by technical support staff to provide better services to the public but again, the statistics contain no personal information and cannot be used to gather such information. Our website also recognizes the online site where a visitor clicked one of our banners or buttons to follow through and visit our site, but we cannot identify the visitor or the visitor's address. Site information is used to confirm promotion of any The Reluctant Feminist giveaways, newsletter, or other projects, and may be used to advise participants of the numbers of visitors who come to our site from their sites. No personal information is collected.

Third Party Ads
We may use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.

Disclaimer Policy
This blog may contain links to other websites and blogs. All external links contain content which is not endorsed or controlled by this blog. All information that you submit on other websites is done so at your own risk. If you are concerned about the sites you visit from this please read the "Privacy Policy" of each website or blog you visit. Your feedback and assistance is welcome in updating the information on this site if you find updates or errors.

Disclosure Policy
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. I may accept forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation from time to time. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

As the owner of this blog I may be compensated from time to time to provide opinions on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though I may receive compensations for posts or advertisements, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question directly.

To get your own policy, go to www.disclosurepolicy.org