Cooper's article is at the top of the most emailed list at the PPG

Cooper, in her article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette -- think big article with enormous accompanying artwork on the front page of the Sunday Forum section -- coined a new term, Maternal Profiling, to define the practice of employers deliberately not hiring people, usually women, because they have kids -- which, unbelievably, is legal in 28 states.

Cooper has struck a chord, and her piece is getting some real play. For the last twenty-four hours, it has been one of the most emailed articles on the paper's website. And bloggers are picking up the beat.

The very talented Amalah wrote about the issue today on her hugely popular blog.

Elisa Camahort of Blogher fame wrote about it on Blogher's site. (Blogher got this whole ball rolling when they showed the not-yet-released documentary, The Motherhood Manifesto, that put a spotlight on the issue.)

Of course, MomsRising, co-founded by Joan Blades, who with Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner created the documentary, has a ton going on on their site -- petitions to sign, bloggers (Cooper among them) talking about the issue, and a link to the list of all the states that don't have laws in place to protect women from discrimination, etc.

Nancy, our favorite Muckraking Mom, has written a post, pushing hard for the bills to pass in PA.

Progress Pittsburgh focuses on the fact that legislative initiatives in PA have been led by Republicans, wondering where the Democrats are on the issue.

Kristen Scott at the wonderful Blogging Baby joins the chorus with her shock that this is still legal.

Tish Grier pointed out that this issue isn't just about Moms, which if there had been space Cooper could have gotten into as well. As Tish said, "Even as a middle-aged divorce woman with a very good education, I have been discrimated against in interviews. What I have found is this: If you say outright that you do not have children, there is another assumption -- that you are the primary caretaker of an elderly parent." Go to her site to read One Hell of an Interview.

Here's the start to Cooper's article:

"Since becoming a mom I now understand a lot of things about mothers that never seemed to make sense to me way back when. Like why my mom would stand at the end of the driveway when I rode off on my bike, or why she insisted on brushed hair and clean nails, or why she tended to be a stress case around the holidays. With four kids of my own, I get it, Mom. Promise.

"But there are some issues involving motherhood I don't understand at all, one I learned about just a few weeks ago.

"At a special screening of an about-to-be-released documentary film called, "The Motherhood Manifesto," based on the book of the same name by Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, I happened on a little known fact about mothers in our state."

Click here to read the rest.

Please let us know if you see others blogging about this so we can link to them too!

Comments

[Cynthia Samuels]

As my teenage friends say OMG!!! I knew about Cooper's wonderful piece but the growth of this movement is just amazing and OF COURSE she's there at the beginning. Where she belongs.
Cooper and I are both from Pgh. so formed a bond at BlogHer but what I knew then and know now is that if she were from Juno she'd still be a sister. What a remarkable woman. Aren't we lucky she's here?