Jennifer Ludden

Pushed Off The Job While Pregnant

Jennifer Ludden — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:26:00 +0000

At a time when most pregnant women work, there are new efforts to keep companies from unfairly targeting employees because of a pregnancy. The allegations of pregnancy discrimination persist and have even risen in recent years despite a decades-old law against it, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Advocates say those most vulnerable are low-wage workers like Natasha Jackson, a former account representative at Rent-A-Center in Charleston, S.C.

Joblessness Shortens Life Expectancy For White Women

Jennifer Ludden — Thu, 30 May 2013 18:57:00 +0000

At a time when many people live longer, it's been a mystery why white women without a high school diploma have been dying increasingly earlier those with more education.

A study in the June issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior tries to understand this growing mortality gap, and finds two key factors: smoking — already well known as detrimental to life expectancy — and, more surprising, unemployment.

The study used data the National Center for Health Statistics had collected on more

Alimony Till Death Do Us Part? Nay, Say Some Ex-Spouses

Jennifer Ludden — Tue, 28 May 2013 07:46:00 +0000

Alimony dates back centuries. The original idea was that once married, a man is responsible for a woman till death. But that notion has shifted in recent decades, as more women have jobs and their own money. Now, a number of states are considering laws to end lifetime alimony.

During his two-decade marriage, Tom Leustek's wife earned a Ph.D. and landed a job that paid as much as his. He's a college professor in New Jersey.

But she quit to start her own psychology practice, and her salary plummeted. Then they split.

Stay-At-Home Dads, Breadwinner Moms and Making It All Work

Jennifer Ludden — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:04:00 +0000

The next time you see a father out shopping with his kids, you might need to check your assumptions.

"I'll get the, 'Oh, look, it's a dad! That's so sweet!' "says Jonathan Heisey-Grove, a stay-at-home father of two young boys in Alexandria, Va., who is pretty sure the other person assumes he's just giving Mom a break for the day.

Attorney For Notorious Clients A Quiet Defender

Jennifer Ludden — Sun, 12 May 2013 09:34:00 +0000

Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and Arizona mass shooter Jared Loughner all have one thing in common: defense attorney Judy Clarke. With her help, all three avoided the death penalty.

Clarke routinely faces an enraged public, top-notch prosecutors and difficult, often disturbed clients.

Filling In The Gap On Climate Education In Classrooms

Jennifer Ludden — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:35:00 +0000

The auditorium at James Blake High School in Silver Spring, Md., is packed when Cy Maramangalam strolls onstage, sporting jeans and a shaved head.

"All right, how's everyone doing today?" he says to rousing cheers. It feels as if he's about to introduce a hot new band, but Maramangalam is with the Alliance for Climate Education, or ACE, and he's here to talk climate change. In the past few years, the nonprofit has put on multimedia presentations for more than 1 million students across the country.

Moving Out And Buying In: Single Ladies Emerge As Homeowners

Jennifer Ludden — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:29:00 +0000

It's hard to remember that just a few decades ago it was difficult, if not impossible, for a woman alone to take out a mortgage. Federal legislation changed that.

And yet, it's still surprising to learn how dominant single women have become in the housing market today: Their share is second only to married couples, and twice that of single men.

In Washington, D.C., Amanda Cowley lives in her dream home — a century-old rowhouse in a gentrifying part of the city. The 37-year-old and her boisterous dog, Sadie, moved in at the end of last year.

A Hot Topic: Climate Change Coming To Classrooms

Jennifer Ludden — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 07:31:00 +0000

By the time today's K-12 students grow up, the challenges posed by climate change are expected to be severe and sweeping. Now, for the first time, new nationwide science standards due out soon will recommend that U.S.

Modern Parenthood: More Equal, More Stressed

Jennifer Ludden — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:27:00 +0000

If you've ever had a spousal spat over who logs more time on housework, child care, or at the office, you might want to see how you stack up against other couples.

A new survey by the Pew Research Center finds fathers spend three times as many hours a week on child care, and twice as much on housework, as they did in the 1960s.

Stay-At-Home Workers Defend Choice After Yahoo Ban

Jennifer Ludden — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 07:59:00 +0000

Yahoo's sweeping edict against telecommuting has been felt as a personal attack by some of the two-thirds of Americans who regularly work from home.

Lawyer Shannan Higgins of Washington, D.C., finds one line of the company memo outlining the policy change particularly offensive: "Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home."

For nearly a decade, Higgins has worked one day a week from the basement office in her rowhouse, where she takes pride in her work and is obsessed with efficiency.

"It's a huge morale booster to be given that flexibility," she says.