Feminism

Babies in the Boardroom

/ Sydney Parker / Leave a comment

Photo: Ian Couch

When Annie Yu leaves for work in the morning, she takes her briefcase, her keys … and her baby.

Yu is an attorney in the state Attorney General’s Office, where the Infant at Work Program was introduced this year. Approved employees are allowed to bring in babies, from 6 weeks to 6 months, for the full workday.

While Yu works, her 5-month-old baby, Hadley, plays on the floor, snuggles in a front carrier, or naps in a Rock ’n Play. Two co-workers are officially designated to trade off watching the baby when Yu attends a meeting, but many others are eager to volunteer.

“It was a really cool experience to be sitting at a professional table that I belonged at, doing important work, but to also know that my baby was only 100 yards away,” says Yu.

More than 2,100 babies in over 200 organizations have been successfully brought to work nationwide through the program, according to the Parenting in the Workplace Institute.

“I think it’s made me more productive because it’s really boosted my overall job satisfaction,” says attorney Natalie King, another parent who is utilizing the program.

Research shows that well-structured babies-at-work programs result in numerous organizational benefits, including higher morale, increased teamwork and lower employee turnover.

READ THE FULL STORY ON SEATTLE’S CHILD

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The Creators and Stars of ‘Baroness von Sketch Show’ Arrive in the States

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“The feminist Canadian sketch comedy series Baroness von Sketch Show has made a splash on the CBC and graces American airwaves on IFC tonight at 10:00pm. The half-hour show is written by and starring Meredith MacNeill and Second City alumni Carolyn Taylor, Aurora Browne, and Jennifer Whalen. Hilarious, smart, and original, the sketches vary in length and never fail to entertain. I talked to the talented bunch about the vibe of their writers’ room, their most humiliating moments as performers, and pigeons.”

READ THE INTERVIEW ON SPLITSIDER

How Heather Fink Made Her First Feature Film ‘Inside You’

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“After years of performing standup comedy and making funny videos, Heather Fink struck out on her own as a writer/director. Paying the bills by day as a boom operator and sound utility, Fink got to work dreaming up her first feature film. The end product – Inside You – is a hilarious romantic comedy about Ryan (Marshall Stratton) and Stephanie (Fink), a long-term couple that switches bodies after the use of a magical (and frightening) sex toy. The pair set out in their new bodies to discover the wonders of the opposite sex and gain insight about their relationship in the process. Fink takes the Freaky Friday trope and turns it on its head, creating clever protagonists who avoid easy gender stereotypes and play against audience expectation. I talked to Fink about making movies, feminist agendas, and growing up funny.”

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ON SPLITSIDER 

On the ‘Vagical Mystery Tour’ with Lizz Winstead

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Lizz Winstead

Photo: Mindy Tucker

“Lizz Winstead (co-creator and former head writer of The Daily Show) has put her passion for politics to work. After founding Lady Parts Justice League, “the first not safe for work, rapid response reproductive rights messaging hub that uses comedy, culture and digital media to sound an alarm about the terrifying erosion of reproductive access so people will get off their asses and reclaim their rights,” Winstead decided to take the show on the road. In May, LPJ launched the Vagical Mystery Tour, a 16-city national tour to bring comedy, music and activism to cities with some of the strictest birth control and abortion laws including Witchita, Indianapolis, Omaha, Birmingham, and Louisville. Guest comedians such as Aparna Nancherla, Gina Yashere, Maysoon Zayid, Helen Hong, Alonzo Bodden, Joyelle Johnson and more perform sets followed by a talkback after the show. At each talkback, local abortion providers and activists make the needs of their clinic known, giving an opportunity for the audience to step up and volunteer. The comedians also jump in on the outreach, pulling weeds, fixing fences, and raising morale at the clinics. I talked to Winstead about reproductive rights, the horrors of the Senate GOP healthcare bill, and bringing comedy to the deep South.”

READ THE INTERVIEW ON VULTURE 

How ‘Teachers’ Finds the Fun in a Sometimes Thankless Job

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“Watch out, the Katydids are on the scene. Six improvisors from Chicago, all with names derived from Katherine (Caitlin Barlow, Katy Colloton, Cate Freedman, Kate Lambert, Katie O’Brien, and Katie Thomas) have released the second season of their hilarious TVLand comedy series Teachers. If you’ve ever worked as a teacher or sat in a classroom, the heightened personalities and antics of these elementary school teachers will feel frighteningly familiar. Executive produced by Alison Brie, the show is almost exclusively created by women. The writers, directors, and producers are mostly women which makes for some truly original plotlines. The Katydids take on breastfeeding, slut-shaming, girls in STEM, and sexism in politics. The show is hilarious, unique, and smart, providing an excellent reminder of why women should have greater representation in writers rooms. I talked to Katie O’Brien and Katy Colloton about the making of season two, the response from real life teachers, and bananas.”

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ON SPLITSIDER 

Dressing the Women in Blue

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Officer Pat Johnson with her child, in Los Angeles 1971. Cal Montney/Getty Images

“On a Friday afternoon in a small suburb of western Cleveland, Sergeant Tanya Sirl was finishing her shift when she spotted a burglary suspect on the run. Wearing her standard police uniform, she pursued the suspect on foot, leaping over a chain link fence in the process. She succeeded in detaining him, but not before ripping open the seam of her pants. “My pants got caught on the fence because the crotch was so low,” said Sgt. Sirl. “It ripped them from appetite to asshole. Everyone got to see my hot pink thong.” She made her way back to the station holding her pants together with one hand, and writing up her report with the other.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON RACKED 

Wanda Sykes on Standup, Parenthood, and This Nightmare Election

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“In her dazzling new one-hour comedy special, What Happened…Ms. Sykes? airing tomorrow night on EPIX, comedian Wanda Sykes is quirky as ever. Though familiar in style, her new material on motherhood, aging, and breast cancer reflects how much life has changed since the days of The Chris Rock Show and Pootie Tang. Since quitting her job at the NSA in her thirties, she’s won Emmy awards, written a book, started a family, hosted the White House Correspondents dinner, advocated for the LGBT community, starred in her own late night talk show, and lifted millions of people up with her comedy. What a life! Ms. Sykes took some time to talk to me about her insights on work, love, politics, and parenthood.”

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ON VULTURE

A Look at Flight Attendant Uniforms Through History

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Braniff International Airways hostesses in uniforms by Emilio Pucci, 1965. Photo credit: Braniff International Public Relations Archives, History of Aviation Collection, UT-Dallas

“Before you fasten your seat belts and prepare for takeoff at San Francisco International Airport, stop by International Terminal Level 3 for the new Fashion in Flight exhibit. Over 70 airline uniforms are on display, dating from the pre-war 1930s to present day. If you think you would rather spend your pre-flight time at the gate listening to the blood pound in your ears and staring into the abyss, think again. The SFO Museum Fashion in Flight exhibit is on display for your entertainment from now until January 8th, 2017. Aviation Museum and Library hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily and the Main Hall galleries are always open. Why waste your time at the gate feasting on an overpriced airport sandwich and reapplying deodorant when you could dress up your brain with knowledge of flight attendant fashion? Enjoy the following preview of this San Francisco treat.”

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Creating All the Time with Kate Micucci

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“Mike Birbiglia’s new gem of a film, Don’t Think Twice, explores the relationships between members of Commune, a long-standing improv troupe. When the troupe’s theater is sold to Trump and a key member of the group garners a big gig on “Weekend Live”, the friends are forced to reassess their individual values and sense of identity. Kate Micucci of Garfunkel and Oates plays Allison, a peculiar improviser and illustrator. Although in real-life Micucci had no previous experience with improv, you wouldn’t know it from her relaxed, imaginative performance. I talked with Micucci about her creative spirit, knowing your own butt strength, and one particularly hard day.”

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ON VULTURE