To write GovFem articles, we scour the internet daily for the best articles and op-eds about women working in the public sector. While many of those articles end up in our GovFem posts, we unfortunately can’t cover them all in a weekly series. That’s why we created the GovFem Reading List, which highlights the top posts from around the web each month.
December is my favorite month of the year—we have the holidays, a new year on the horizon and plenty of time to spend with family and friends. Despite the recent political upheaval, this month’s reading list is inspired by the holiday cheer. These articles mainly focus on women doing great things across sectors and how women can start working to lift up the other great ladies around them.
Here are the top five articles worth reading from this past month:
Did you accomplish everything you dreamed you would in the years since you walked across your alma mater’s stage? Maybe. But if you’re anything like most other working women, life, kids, and sexism probably got in the way a little bit. While not exactly an article, this series of seven short essays critically explores the stories of women who were ready to rule the world after college graduation and how their careers have shaped up since then.
Whether you have always known you were destined to be a mother or you are on the fence about children, as a working woman, you have to be aware of how motherhood can impact your career. According to this article, for each child a woman has, she suffers a motherhood penalty of 4 percent of her income—a number that is even higher for highly skilled workers. This article is a must-read to understand how having children could affect your place in the workforce.
No matter what sector you are in, all women need strong role models to look up to. You probably have a few in mind—mine are the Notorious RBG, Condoleezza Rice, and my mom. Check out this article to learn who other female govies are looking up to and maybe pick up a new role model or two of your own.
While lady-on-lady support is growing across the workforce, instances of women bringing other women down are still common. This article is a quick inspirational read that reminds us that regardless of who we are and what position we are in, we should always direct some energy towards helping our fellow women out instead of hurting them.
And finally, we wanted to end this month’s reading list on a fun note. Use the long weekend to check out these awesome women and the screenplays that they have created, produced and stared in.
And in case you missed them, check out this month’s other GovFem posts:
Every month, GovFem compiles a list of the top articles about women in government from around the web. If you have an article you think should be included in next month’s reading list, email hannah@govloop.com with your suggestions.