Priced Out of Participation

by Marcia Cohn Spiegel

I just finished reading about the “Lean In” era and remembered that in the summer of 1980 there was a feminist preconference for CAJE (led by Sue Levi Elwell, Paulette Benson and myself). The main concern of the Jewish women educators and professionals who attended was how, on the salary they were paid and the hours that they worked, they could afford child care, religious school, camp and synagogue membership.

They were concerned that their work as Jewish professionals would not allow them to be part of the organized Jewish community. They were priced out of participation.

So what else is new?