Teresa Tomeo sees the price women are paying for 'having it all'

Contact: Tim Lilley, 678-990-9032, TLilley@MaximusMG.com; Kevin Wandra, 678-990-9032, KWandra@MaximusMG.com

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 6, 2011 /Standard Newswire/ -- Many women "have it all" today -- and research suggests that a significant number of them aren't sure it's worth the price.

The December issue of "American Sociological Review" reports the findings of a new study of working Moms' -- and Dads' -- multitasking activities. The research revealed that working Moms devote an average of 48.3 hours weekly to multitasking -- compared to 38.9 hours for Dads -- and that the mothers feel more negative about it than working fathers.

"The study shows that despite all the talk about 'having it all' -- a successful career, a happy marriage, and children -- women can't have it all without paying a price," said bestselling author Teresa Tomeo. "These researchers found that women may be queens of multitasking, but they don't exactly see themselves as living like royals. Instead, today's working Moms feel frustrated and under-appreciated. They're lacking balance and don't know quite how or where to find it."

Tomeo noted that researchers Shira Offer of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University and Barbara Schneider of Michigan State University suggest that their study revealed the needs for men to do a better job of helping out at home, and for policymakers to alter the workplace culture -- to enable Dads to leave early or come in late in order to play larger roles in their families' home lives.

"Their suggestions are all well and good," Tomeo said, "and few would argue the importance of men being there more for their families. But our culture needs to take an even closer look and ask an important question -- how much of this frenetic lifestyle has been brought on by women themselves?

"Women, as in radical feminists, have been pushing men out of the picture for years. It wasn't that long ago that Gloria Steinem proudly proclaimed 'a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.' Those 'I am woman, hear me roar' messages have been sold to society through 'Cosmo' magazine and the rest of the mass media since the 1970's. Maybe men want to pitch in and do more; maybe they want to rock the cradle but are too concerned, because of being pushed out of the picture for so long, about also rocking the boat."

In her new book EXTREME MAKEOVER, available now from Ignatius Press, Tomeo reports on the impact of the feminist movement and the media on today's culture. Tomeo talks about ways that women, children and families can make an "extreme makeover" to rid themselves of the messages and toxic images that bombard them daily, and instead embrace the truth about themselves and their dignity.

To schedule an interview with Tomeo and/or to request a review copy of EXTREME MAKEOVER, contact Tim Lilley (TLilley@MaximusMG.com) or Kevin Wandra (KWandra@MaximusMG.com) of The Maximus Group at 678-990-9032, or at the email addresses above.