Over the past decades, substantial progress has been made in the realm of female participation in the workforce, yet as more women get jobs, the more problematic the issue of work-life balance becomes for them. In her article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” Anne-Marie Slaughter states, “The women who have managed to be both mothers and top professionals are superhuman, rich, or self-employed.” Essentially, the possibility of being able to divide one’s time equally between work and family is a privilege for affluent women and those who are free to determine their own schedules. As a result, one may raise a question about the steps which need to be taken in order to let more women achieve a better work-life balance in their lives. The significance of the topic of females’ career and family choices is important nowadays because women begin to suffer from the belief that they can both excel in their work and care for their families. It is vital to discuss such a topic in order to analyze the effect of the current workplace practices on women and their health and to identify solutions to the existing problems. Anne-Marie Slaughter offers her perspective on the topic, and the purpose of her writing is to bring the attention of the readers to the idea that the current approach to female workforce participation should change. In terms of the rhetorical situation, Anne-Marie Slaughter is a former Director of Policy Planning for the U.S. State Department, and the audience of her writing is “highly educated, well-off women” (Slaughter). Nevertheless, Anne-Marie Slaughter’s main argument is that the imposition of false expectations on women about their ability to achieve an excellent job-family balance in the current work culture is relevant for all working women. The current paper provides an analysis of how Anne-Marie Slaughter manages to persuade the reader by employing a rhetorical strategy which relies on ethos and testimony evidence.
The primary claim of Anne-Marie Slaughter is that the existing work practices in which the majority of jobs, especially high-profile ones, prevent women from having enough time with their families and children in particular. In her arguments, Anne-Marie Slaughter relies on the use of testimony evidence involving both her personal eyewitness accounts and the judgment of experts who examined and interpreted certain facts. Since Anne-Marie Slaughter worked at the State Department, she possesses a considerable amount of credibility, and the experiences which she shares with the readers are perceived as trustworthy, which contributes to her arguments’ validity. As a result, since she utilizes her status as the foundation for her argument, she employs the ethos-based rhetorical strategy, which enables her to persuade the audience with the help of her personal authority. For instance, she mentions her achievements, “I teach a full course load; write regular print and online columns… give 40 to 50 speeches a year; appear regularly on TV…” (Slaughter). When talking about problems, she appeals to her experiences “My experiences over the past three years have forced me to confront a number of uncomfortable facts” (Slaughter). Anne-Marie’s personal accounts enable her to offer her perspective on what should be done to solve such problems, “Ultimately, it is society that must change, coming to value choices to put family ahead of work” (Slaughter). She also provides quotes from notable figures such as Elizabeth Warren and Kara Owen, which reinforce her argument (Slaughter). Thus, the appeal to her personal experiences, as well as of other influential people, allows Anne-Marie Slaughter to form a persuasive argument. The article of Anne-Marie Slaughter in question constitutes an example of how the ethos-based rhetorical strategy can be an effective tool for the provision of an argument.
Anne-Marie Slaughter, in her article “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” utilizes the ethos-based rhetorical strategy in order to persuade the reader about the need to change the existing work practices for women. Anne-Marie Slaughter is a notable figure in the United States since she served as a Director of Policy Planning for the U.S. State Department. Anne-Marie Slaughter uses her career achievements as a foundation for her argument about the current work policies in the country and their effect on women and their ability to balance their job and family. As a result, Anne-Marie Slaughter chose to employ the testimony evidence as a way to advance her argument about the need to address the current workplace problems. The topic which Anne-Marie Slaughter raised in her writing is extremely relevant today because the issue with the work-family balance becomes more apparent. The recent technological advancements have made it possible to completely revise the existing work practices and provide people with more flexibility and freedom without compromising the quality of their performance. Therefore, the topic has implications in many different realms but especially social, cultural, and economic. The change in the work practices for women will require the female workforce to openly state their desire for more relaxed schedules. In terms of cultural implications, society, in general, must shift its focus from pursuing material wealth to family values. Finally, the economic implications of the topic concern the area of the size of the remunerations under new circumstances where women have more professional freedom. All of the aforementioned aspects are important, and Anne-Marie Slaughter’s contribution to the discussion is particularly valuable because of her status as an influential person and woman who has built an exemplary career.
Work Cited
Slaughter, Anne-Marie. “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All.” The Atlantic, 2012, Web.