No answer

So, what should be the role of education? And what is the line between "education" and "indoctrination"? Sand clearly believed that education was a liberating force, even if the rest of society couldn't keep up. But then, we are faced with the dilemma of conformity. To what degree can one muffle one's intelligence just to fit in? Gabriel, unfortunately, never resolves this issue, death is not the only option. I just read an article in Boston.com: Many female lawyers dropping off path to partnership. It compares the numbers of women and who have left the partner track in law firms. Out of 1,000 Massachusetts lawyers who responded, 31 percent of female lawyers had left private practice, compared to 18 percent of male respondents. One of the signifant reasons given for leaving this path was the inability to manage a career with maintaining a family. Now, this card has been played before, there has been a perpetual debate over appropriate ways for women to balance work and family. Here, it seems these women's education and hard work have only paid off up to a certain point. In the world of Gabriel, the main character had no chance of ever joining the professional work force as a women.

In light of these observations, what should we tell our young women today? That they should go become doctors, lawyers, professionals, but they should only expect to go so far because the realities of raising a family will set in? I am not saying that there is a "glass ceiling," that seems to give women an excuse to limit their ambition, or at least perpetuate the idea of a barrier. The motivated should not be discouraged from achieving their objectives.

I admire businesses who are implementing more flexible schedules for mothers or encouraging fathers to partake in raising a child, but is that enough? Maybe, like electric cars, the idea will propagate slowly into the mainstream. The French have implemented paternity leave, which could be an interesting way to assuage the situation. That seems the best response thus far- encourage partnership. Why does that sound so difficult in practice? Unfortunately, I have no answer....