Linda Hirshman
Encyclopedia
Linda Redlick Hirshman is an American lawyer
, feminist, and the author
of The Woman's Guide to Law School and Hard Bargains: The Politics of Sex.
. She is a retired Distinguished professor
of Philosophy
and Women's Studies
at Brandeis University
. She holds a law degree from the University of Chicago
and a Ph.D. in philosophy. She has written for a variety of periodicals, including Glamour
, Tikkun
, Ms., the ABA Journal, and the Boston Globe.
In 2006, Hirshman released Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World in which she re-iterated her arguments in favor of women demanding that their husbands participate in raising their children, and addressed some of the criticism of her earlier work that she found on the Internet.
list of 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
"with almost no effort." Goldberg criticized Hirshman for comments she made in a segment produced by Lesley Stahl
on 60 Minutes
in October of 2004. Hirshman's comments involved young, well-educated women who chose to give up high-paying, high-powered, and prestigious jobs in order to stay home and take care of their children. In the segment, Hirshman argued that this kind of decision would only lead to a lesser life for these women- "These women are choosing lives in which they do not use their capacity for very complicated work, they're choosing lives in which they do not use their capacity to deal with very powerful other adults in the world, which takes a lot of skill. I think there are better lives and worse lives."
Hirshman was also criticized by feminist bloggers such as Leslie Morgan Steiner
and economists such as Heather Boushey
for having an insufficient empirical evidence
for her contention that women were dropping out of the U.S. labor market, a charge which Hirshman says does not change her conclusions.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, feminist, and the author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of The Woman's Guide to Law School and Hard Bargains: The Politics of Sex.
Life and career
Hirshman was born in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. She is a retired Distinguished professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and Women's Studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
at Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. She holds a law degree from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and a Ph.D. in philosophy. She has written for a variety of periodicals, including Glamour
Glamour (magazine)
Glamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood....
, Tikkun
Tikkun (magazine)
Tikkun is a quarterly English-language magazine, published in the United States, that analyzes American and Israeli culture, politics, religion and history from a leftist-progressive viewpoint, and provides commentary about Israeli politics and Jewish life in North America...
, Ms., the ABA Journal, and the Boston Globe.
In 2006, Hirshman released Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World in which she re-iterated her arguments in favor of women demanding that their husbands participate in raising their children, and addressed some of the criticism of her earlier work that she found on the Internet.
Criticism
As Hirshman's own biographical byline for periodicals proudly states, she "landed spot No. 77" on author Bernard Goldberg'sBernard Goldberg
Bernard Richard Goldberg , also known as Bernie Goldberg, is an eleven-time Emmy Award-winning American writer, journalist, and political commentator...
list of 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
100 People Who Are Screwing Up America is a non-fiction book by Bernard Goldberg that was published in 2005. The book's central idea is to name and blame a long list of specific individuals for making the United States a "far more selfish, vulgar, and cynical place."Goldberg's book denounces many...
"with almost no effort." Goldberg criticized Hirshman for comments she made in a segment produced by Lesley Stahl
Lesley Stahl
Lesley Rene Stahl is an American television journalist. Since 1991, she has reported for CBS on 60 Minutes.-Personal life:...
on 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
in October of 2004. Hirshman's comments involved young, well-educated women who chose to give up high-paying, high-powered, and prestigious jobs in order to stay home and take care of their children. In the segment, Hirshman argued that this kind of decision would only lead to a lesser life for these women- "These women are choosing lives in which they do not use their capacity for very complicated work, they're choosing lives in which they do not use their capacity to deal with very powerful other adults in the world, which takes a lot of skill. I think there are better lives and worse lives."
Hirshman was also criticized by feminist bloggers such as Leslie Morgan Steiner
Leslie Morgan Steiner
Leslie Morgan Steiner is an American author, blogger and businesswoman.-Life and career:Morgan was born in Washington, D. C. A 1987 graduate of Harvard College with a B.A. in English, Steiner's first published work was an autobiographical account of her teenage struggle with anorexia nervosa,...
and economists such as Heather Boushey
Heather Boushey
Heather Marie Boushey is a senior economist at the Center for American Progress.-Life and career:Boushey was born in Seattle and grew up in Mukilteo, Washington. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from the New School for Social Research and her B.A...
for having an insufficient empirical evidence
Empirical research
Empirical research is a way of gaining knowledge by means of direct and indirect observation or experience. Empirical evidence can be analyzed quantitatively or qualitatively...
for her contention that women were dropping out of the U.S. labor market, a charge which Hirshman says does not change her conclusions.
External links
- Video interview/discussion with Hirshman and Michelle GoldbergMichelle GoldbergMichelle Goldberg is a Brooklyn-based journalist and the author of the books Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, and The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World. She is formerly a contributing writer at Salon.com...
on Bloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers... - GetToWorkManifesto.com, Hirschman's official website