Jess Calarco @JessicaCalarco Twitter profile | Pikagi

Pikagi

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

40,170

Followers

6,866

Following

541

Media

3,459

Statuses

sociologist | writer | uw-madison professor | families, schools, inequality | mom of two hams | holding it together: how women became america's safety net

Madison, WI

https://t.co/ue5oFoh7NG

Joined June 2011

Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.

Pinned Tweet

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

6 months

"Other countries have social safety net. The U.S. has women." That quote is the beating heart of my new book, HOLDING IT TOGETHER, which will be out June 4, 2024 with Portfolio/Penguin, and which I can't wait to share with all of you.

Tweet card media

Holding It Together by Jessica Calarco: 9780593538128 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women. Holding It Together chronicles the causes and dire consequences. America runs on women—women who are tasked with holding...

www.penguinrandomhouse.com

47

402

2K

Last Seen Profiles

@Pelion_VP

@ismailsaymaz

@BlackingXavier

@pkmnprideflags

@borisluchas

@linaashokry

@nftrecordshop

@abwsalah2000

@sesuroll

@JessiBlackQOS

@liselotte_w_i

@zammit_marc

@ryrNN0sUk5lRThY

@WHOSeychelles

@MonacoRun

@peqvc

@MartinNeil9

@_evanmurphy_

@MrsAvaAndrews

@MSCheusgen

@goldengracee_

@li

@gorakhpurpolice

@mzthickandproud

@HollyWell274120

@LadyJayPersists

@HotBlondeQOS

@tattedmommy____

@MushromProtocol

@stw_pdg

@MrMeatballl

@manalivehouston

@stephaniecordn2

@kgsatop

@lobotomovdoll

@YungLAgotBarz

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

As I teach my students, kids' clothing only became gendered when capitalists realized they could double their money by selling separate clothes for girls and boys. Before that, kids wore gender-neutral dresses, which better accommodated growth spurts and toilet training.

@dieworkwear

derek guy

1 year

this is how franklin d roosevelt dressed as a child

Tweet media one

402

9K

127K

13

8K

43K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

4 months

We train girls to romanticize motherhood from the minute they're old enough to hold a doll. Because if we didn't, a heck of a lot more of them would realize what motherhood actually entails* and run very fast the other way.

@KSchaferPhD

KSchaferPhD

4 months

This isn’t a fun tweet. But I vastly underestimated the personal sacrifices I would have to make in being a mother.

919

2K

19K

644

6K

30K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

Feels like a good time to remind everyone that SpaceX has received nearly $5 Billion in federal grants, tax breaks, and subsidies. Imagine what that money could've achieved if we put it toward affordable childcare, or housing, or healthcare instead.

@AP

The Associated Press

1 year

BREAKING: SpaceX’s new rocket, the biggest and most powerful ever built, blasted off on its first test flight but failed minutes after launch. It carried no people or satellites.

128

205

563

35

4K

16K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women.

@nytimes

The New York Times

3 years

The U.S. is an outlier in its low levels of financial support for young children’s care. Rich countries contribute an average of $14,000 per year for a toddler’s care, compared with $500 in the U.S. The Democrats’ spending bill tries to shrink the gap.

Tweet media one

396

2K

6K

110

4K

13K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

25 days

This Fox News list of "America's Top Christian Colleges and Universities" is fascinating for many reasons, but maybe especially for the fact that it erases Catholicism from Christianity. i.e., schools like Georgetown and Notre Dame aren't mentioned at all.

Tweet media one

Tweet media two

359

595

9K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

6 years

My first year of #gradschool , I was overwhelmed by the amount and density of the reading. I spent hours slogging through. I had piles of notes. But I felt lost. So now, in the interest of revealing the #HiddenCurriculum of #highered , I share these tips with students: (thread)

101

2K

6K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 months

Me: I'm sorry, kiddo. We have to change your medicine to a swallow kind, because our health insurance doesn't cover the chewable one, so it's really really expensive to buy. 6-year-old: Or we could move to another country where medicine is free.

120

302

5K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

8 days

The police have arrested my colleague for trying to protect his students.

@TylerKatzen

Tyler Katzenberger

8 days

Professor pinned on the ground being arrested at @UWMadison , asking police to leave students alone

Tweet media one

1K

8K

19K

94

2K

5K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

10 months

Elite schools have a culpability here. Instead of admitting to admitted students "there were lots of students who deserved to be here and you just happen to be the ones we picked," they say, "we admitted you because you're the best." 1/

30

544

5K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

We are still in a pandemic. Kids are still ineligible for vaccines. And we are still in the midst of a childcare crisis. Yet, employers are still somehow expecting a return to "normal." A reminder and a thread: 1/

38

1K

4K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

These dresses were usually white because white fabric 1) was cheaper (didn't require expensive dyes), and 2) could be easily no bleached when kids (inevitably) dirtied their clothes. Pink for girls and blue for boys is a capitalist invention, and for a time, was even reversed

1

279

4K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

4 months

They warn you that traveling with kids is hard. They don't warn you that you it'll take about 200 tries to get a passport photo that'll pass for what's required.

Tweet media one

Tweet media two

Tweet media three

Tweet media four

114

70

4K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

Some politicians are afraid to let students learn these lessons. Because knowing the truth about history reveals that things don't have to be the way they are now. And because knowing that things could be different empowers students to challenge existing systems of power.

3

346

3K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

4-year-old: Would you be dead if a dinosaur ate you? Me: Yes, you'd be dead if a dinosaur ate you. 4-year-old: No. Would *you* be dead if a dinosaur ate you? Me: Yes, I would be. And you would be dead if a dinosaur ate you, too. 4: I wasn't alive when there were dinosaurs.

58

164

3K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

Academia, particularly the most competitive parts of academia, are built on the assumption that "serious" academics have no family obligations or will be willing and able to sacrifice them for the good of their work. That assumption is bad for academics and bad for academia, too.

@shantabirdo

Dr. Shanta Hejmadi

1 year

A couple of gems from my @NSF #PRFB comments: Rev.2: "Weaknesses: The work would be conducted at the same institution as their PhD." Rev. 3: "Weaknesses: No justification is given for staying at the same institution." A thread about the multidimensionality of diversity... 1/n

42

408

2K

31

412

3K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

6 years

Professors: Please tell your grad students that they’re making progress and doing good work. Not because they’re spoiled millennials who need reassurance. But because validation is important. Especially amidst uncertainty. And especially from those who can make or break a career.

33

527

3K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

@MoiraDonegan After I was born, my mom worked as a: -temp worker/secretary/typist -direct sales associate (Mary Kay) -home childcare provider -preschool teacher -elementary school teacher So I know a whole lot about how our lack of support for mothers pushes women into low-wage, gendered work

3

52

3K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

4 months

Libraries are the best. My 9-year-old recently figured out that she can download free ebooks from our local library, and she's managed to burn through four Judy Blume books, A Wrinkle in Time, and Castle in the Attic in just the first week of winter break.

Tweet media one

72

83

2K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

@ME_McCullough Where's the beef? A social network analysis of the viral spread of petty complaints.

8

65

2K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

I'm waiting for someone to connect these findings (students perceived women faculty to be more supportive and accommodating during the pandemic; universities have undervalued this care work) to the current reviewer crisis in academic publishing. 1/

Tweet card media

‘Professor Moms’ & ‘Hidden Service’ in Pandemic Times: Students Report Women Faculty more Support...

Innovative Higher Education - Emerging data suggests the COVID-19 crisis exacerbated preexisting, long-documented gender inequities among U.S. faculty in higher education. During the initial Spring...

link.springer.com

24

567

2K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

One "that sucks--I'm so sorry" is better than a hundred "but have you tried"s.

10

198

2K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

A warning to parents traveling @SouthwestAir : Yesterday, my sister checked 3 carseats for her flight. Southwest canceled their flight twice and rebooked them for Wednesday. My sister asked for the carseats back so they could leave, and Southwest refused. 24hrs later, same thing.

45

262

2K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

6 years

Read as much of each article/book as it takes to identify the: -research question -data/methods -argument/answer -key evidence supporting the argument/answer -limitations (i.e., what questions it doesn't answer; what perspectives or possibilities it doesn't consider)

8

200

2K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

6 years

And finally, pick a citation manager (e.g., Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote) and put *everything* you read into it. Use it to take notes. Use the tag features to group readings by subfield and method and argument. It'll make your life (and your research) *way* easier down the line.

22

145

2K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

10 months

This opens the door to perceptions that affirmative action "steals" the "rightful" spots of "better" students. When, the reality is--affirmative action just helps ensure that schools are choosing equitably from the many students who deserve to get in. 2/

6

116

2K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

5 months

A possibly controversial academic opinion: Students shouldn't be graded on knowledge/skills they aren't explicitly taught in the class. For example, with paper assignments, if the course doesn't teach spelling, grammar, and writing, then those shouldn't be part of the grade. 1/

130

113

2K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

Academia has been hemorrhaging workers over the past few years; rather than try to rebuild by improving pay/working conditions, many universities have used it as an opportunity to cut budgets by pushing more work onto the staff, faculty, and grad students who are still here.

@annehelen

Anne Helen Petersen

2 years

I wrote about a phenomenon I think of as “the expanding job”: when one person is effectively doing work previously performed by 2 or 3 others:

78

1K

5K

21

296

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

4 years

2-year-old: Mama teacher? Me: I am a teacher! What do you wanna do for work someday? 2-year-old: No work. Me: What if you have to work? 2-year-old: Pizza. Me: You wanna be a pizza chef? 2-year-old: No chef. Me: You just wanna eat pizza? 2-year-old. Eat pizza. No work.

40

57

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

4 months

My point being that motherhood doesn't have to be so impossible. We've just decided to make it that way by forcing so much risk and responsibility onto mothers and by denying them easy access to adequate support.

26

134

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

4-year-old: Have you heard of a thing called clam it? Me: I'm not sure I have. 4-year-old: It's a thing for when you need help from somebody. If you try to do something yourself, and you can't do it, then you say "clam it!" and somebody will come help you.

32

72

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

For context: A study of 2000+ journals found that during the early stages of the pandemic, men submitted substantially more manuscripts than women, but women did just as much reviewing, leading to "cumulative advantages for men." 4/

Tweet card media

Gender gap in journal submissions and peer review during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A...

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an unusually high submission rate of scholarly articles. Given that most academics were forced to work from home, the competing demands for...

journals.plos.org

7

432

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

For more on the social construction of kids' gender and the history of capitalists' role in that process, I'd recommend Jo Paoletti's book Pink and Blue as a place to start.

Tweet card media

Pink and Blue: Telling the Boys from the Girls in America

"When did we start dressing girls in pink and boys in blue?" To uncover the answer, dress historian Jo Paoletti looked at advertising, catalogs, dolls, baby books, mommy blogs and discussion forums,...

0

112

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

When my kids' schools stopped requiring masks a few weeks ago, I figured it was only a matter of time until they got it, even if they kept wearing KN95s (except at lunch/recess...) themselves And now here we are--my second grader has been sick all weekend and tested positive. 1/

35

125

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

25 days

The comments and QTs here make me wonder how many US Catholics are aware that a lot of conservative Protestants/Evangelicals don't see them as Christian. And it makes me wonder if knowing that might make Catholics less willing to align themselves with Evangelicals politically.

54

73

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

"Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women." And apparently we've decided "this is fine."

Tweet card media

"Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women."

This is the midweek edition of Culture Study — the newsletter from Anne Helen Petersen, which you can read about here. If you like it and want more like it in your inbox, consider subscribing. For...

annehelen.substack.com

29

371

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

4 years

Okay, so I'm pretty sure @DanCalarco wins the pandemic dad award. Not only did he make our 6-year-old a new twirly dress, he also made her a matching mask.

Tweet media one

Tweet media two

39

14

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

10 months

Essentially, by continuing to promote the myth of meritocracy, elite schools have helped make the bed they now find themselves in. 3/

11

79

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

Walking with Kids: 3-year-old: Mommy, can you give me a hug? Me: Sure, buddy. 3-year-old: Can you give me the kind of hug that's called picking me up and carrying me?

29

18

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

Now, some critics might read this and say: "See--masks and vaccines don't work!" But masks and vaccines are designed to be collective solutions--not individual ones. They're both most effective when we all do our part. And sadly, that's not what I see happening right now. 5/

13

129

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

6 years

The #hiddencurriculum of academia isn't just hidden from undergrads. It's hidden from grad students, too. I'm sure we all had things we were embarrassed we didn't know in grad school. So let's tell those stories. I'll go first. (1/many)

@kksmith312

Kristin K. Smith

6 years

Just told an undergrad about graduate assistantships, stipends, & tuition waivers. Her mind was blown. We need to do a better job educating students about #gradstudent opportunities - esp for rural, low-income, non-traditional students #highered

43

755

3K

65

462

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

4 months

*especially in a country where we not only expect women to be mothers but also expect women (especially mothers) to stand in for our woefully insufficient social safety net

Tweet card media

Holding It Together by Jessica Calarco: 9780593538128 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women. Holding It Together chronicles the causes and dire consequences. America runs on women—women who are tasked with holding...

www.penguinrandomhouse.com

17

79

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

5-year-old: We've been driving behind the same truck for hours!!! Me: Yes, because Daddy is driving the truck.

Tweet media one

31

4

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

4 years

I'm not quite brave enough to turn my kids' art into a tattoo, but I *did* find someone on etsy who would turn my 5-year-old's owl drawing into a crocheted stuffed animal. This is going to be such a cool gift!!!

Tweet media one

Tweet media two

28

28

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

So, what if a parent deems that their child is harmed by the *removal* of these materials from curriculums or schools?

@ACLUIndiana

ACLU of Indiana

1 year

BREAKING: Indiana legislators just passed an alarming book ban bill that opens schools, teachers, and librarians up to penalties if a parent deems their material "harmful." Lawmakers did this by quickly and quietly adding language from a dead bill into a separate bill, HB 1447.

70

493

734

12

224

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

Hear me out. What if revenue isn't the primary goal here? What if the real point is to take away verification from the journalists, scholars, and other experts who play a key role in combating misinformation? Pay-for-play blue checks might just be a case of two birds, one stone.

@Variety

Variety

1 year

Twitter Will Exempt 10,000 Most-Followed Companies and Organizations From $1,000 Monthly Verified-Status Charge: Report

285

376

937

24

286

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

One of my grad students recently got invited to write their first article review for a journal. They asked for my advice on how to approach the whole process, so I figured I'd share some thoughts here.

Tweet card media

How to Write a Review

Without Being Reviewer 2

jesscalarco.substack.com

12

245

1K

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

6 years

Next, figure out how you'd cite each reading in a paper (i.e., some research shows that X; some research uses Y method). Then figure out how each reading relates to other things you've read (agreement/disagreement, adding nuance, etc). Once you can do that, you've read enough.

1

94

996

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

In related news: The Calarcos are moving to Wisconsin! In September, Dan will start as Deputy CIO of the University of Wisconsin System, and the kids will get a second first day of school. Then I'll join the University of Wisconsin-Madison Sociology Department in January 2023.

107

9

963

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

The administrator (and sometimes even the faculty) argument against higher PhD stipends often goes something like: "They're getting a free degree--they should just be grateful they're getting paid at all." But let's think about a few reasons why that logic is flawed: 🧵

@Nature

nature

2 years

Salaries for PhD students in the biological sciences fall well below the basic cost of living at almost every institution and department in the US, according to crowdsourced data

28

819

2K

14

249

957

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

Or maybe: Standards set pre-pandemic aren't reasonable in an ongoing pandemic where families are still getting sick and grieving and where schools are under attack on so many sides.

@nytimes

The New York Times

2 years

Breaking News: Test results show the pandemic’s effect on U.S. students: The math and reading scores of 9-year-olds dropped steeply, erasing two decades of progress.

2K

2K

5K

17

168

927

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

Apparently this is part of @SouthwestAir policy - once you check a bag for a flight, they won't give it back to you, even if your flight is canceled and rebooked for another day. Even if checked luggage includes items like carseats that are necessary to leave the airport.

21

104

921

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

4 years

From preschool to grad school, educators assume that students will ask for help if they need if. But what they don't realize is that students - especially students from less privileged backgrounds - may not feel entitled to help and may not trust educators enough to ask.

20

292

898

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

How much more better would the world be if, by default, we interpreted frustrated outbursts as signs of a need for support?

5

44

906

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

7-year-old: Will I still be in school when I'm 27? Spouse: Are you gonna go to grad school? 7-year-old: Do they give you food there? Spouse: Not enough. 7-year-old: You mean you have to bring your own lunch?! #gradschool #phdchat

7

48

887

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

5 years

@drcompton @raulpacheco @jeremyfreese @familyunequal With abstracts, I typically aim for a 5-sentence model that mirrors the structure of the rest of the paper: S1: what we know S2: what we don't S3: how you answer that question S4: what you find S5: why it's important

12

206

851

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

4 months

I have many, many thoughts on this. But I'll start with: Sociology should be a required course in high school.

@roshanpateI

Roshan Patel

4 months

Asking my 22 yr old cousin that works in tech about the minimum wage

Tweet media one

896

3K

84K

63

120

863

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

25 days

The founded-by-Christians Ivy League schools are also missing, but that's less surprising, given that they've dropped their religious affiliations over time. Catholic universities, by contrast, still require students to take theology classes. And yet, they aren't included here.

12

13

858

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

5 years

Mentors shouldn’t knowingly contribute to academia’s culture of cruelty. It’s okay to prepare students for cruelty ("Here's a rough review I got and how I dealt with it”). It’s not okay to inflict cruelty for practice (“I’ll be harsh on you, so you’ll be ready for Reviewer 2”).

10

175

838

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

🚨New Book Alert🚨 Qualitative Literacy can now be pre-ordered from @ucpress . Other books show fieldworkers how to do ethnography and interviews. Here, @MarioLuisSmall and I show readers and users of qualitative research how to tell if it was done well.

Tweet card media

Qualitative Literacy

Suppose you were given two qualitative studies: one is a piece of empirically sound social science and the other, though interesting and beautifully written, is not. How would you tell the differen...

www.ucpress.edu

31

165

821

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

Some faculty used the pandemic shutdown as a chance to be wildly productive. Others were trying to support students and colleagues, often on top of disproportionate family responsibilities, which limited time for research/writing or led to burnout if they tried to do it all. 2/

4

104

793

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

5 years

Tenure, grant me the wisdom to know what needs changing in academia, the courage to make and push for those changes, and the serenity to deal with people who stand in the way.

6

69

748

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

4 years

This morning, my 2-year-old screamed and cried and flailed around for 30 minutes - all because he wanted the "red cup." I offered him every red cup I could find in the house, but he just kept demanding the "red one." Turns out "red" actually means yellow.

23

11

708

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 months

6-year-old knows that medicine is free in some other countries because I broke my foot when we were in New Zealand last summer, and I didn't have to pay anything for care, which prompted lots of conversations about national health policy.

7

19

682

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

11 months

I can say from personal experience that these skills are highly transferable. If you find a partner who does complex travel planning, then you've also found a partner who can and likely will do kid activity schedules, birthday/holiday logistics, meal planning, and summer camp.

@wellbeingbrooke

Brooke Chapin Robbins

@wellbeingbrooke

11 months

My boyfriend just sent me an excel spreadsheet labeled “summer travel” with three sheets labeled scenario 1, 2 and 3. Prices and flight itineraries for each. I am in love with this man.

260

980

22K

16

23

669

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

This week, I taught my last class at Indiana University--in January, I'll be joining the Sociology Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I managed to keep the tears at bay--until my undergraduate honors thesis students surprised me with flowers.

Tweet media one

31

3

664

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

For the last four years, my research team and I have been following an Indiana mom I'll call Brooke, who got pregnant when she was in college, at 19 years old. Brooke was considering abortion, but her parents--conservative white evangelical Christians--talked her out of it. 🧵 1/

12

160

650

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

25 days

My husband and I were both raised Catholic, and neither of us can remember any priests, CCD teachers, or family members mentioning that other groups might question Catholicism's Christianity.

58

12

621

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

@clhubes When my mom was pregnant with me and started having contractions at 6am, my dad got up, showered, and went to work, figuring he had plenty of time. She called him later, saying her water broke. He came home and made himself a steak, figuring it was his last good meal for a while.

5

0

602

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

So, I'm pretty sure he misheard "dammit" and interpreted the rest on his own.

11

4

602

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

And yet, it's also important to remember that remote work won't solve the care crisis. And it won't fix gender inequalities in caregiving, either. Because, as my team and I find, when care breaks down, families too often rely on women by default. //

By Default: How Mothers in Different-Sex Dual-Earner Couples Account for Inequalities in Pandemic...

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased families’ childcare responsibilities, disproportionately affecting mothers and undermining their careers and wellbeing. Using two waves of interviews with...

8

73

599

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

6 years

If your professor asks for a literature review, they probably want you to use the literature to make an argument about what we do and don't know about a given topic. Note: here's an excellent guide to writing lit reviews from @raulpacheco

Literature Reviews

While literature reviews are part of just about every single scholarly manuscript, I thought I'd

www.raulpacheco.org

5

99

588

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

And so, when the first group tried to turn all their productivity into publications and started looking for reviewers, the second group was just like--nope. 3/

7

45

592

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

4 years

Me: Okay, you can watch some TV. 6-year-old: Odd Squad! 3-year-old: Sesame Street! Me: That's not how TV works here. You just have to watch whatever's on. 6-year-old: What do you mean whatever's on? Me: [tries to explain "real" TV] 6-year-old: That's ridiculous.

18

27

589

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

Last night, 40 Indiana school districts received bomb threats. And it's hard not to wonder if those threats were retaliation for the protest hundreds of Indiana teachers held at the State House yesterday, demanding more funding and rejecting efforts to ban books in schools.

Tweet media one

Tweet media two

Tweet media three

10

226

572

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

4 months

Last night, when I went into my 9-year-old's room to tell her lights out, I found her reading a dictionary. I asked why, and she said she heard a Florida school banned dictionaries, so she wants to make she knows all the words they don't want kids to know.

Florida school district pulls dictionaries and encyclopedias as part of "inappropriate" content...

The dictionaries and encyclopedias are being reviewed based on state legislation that says schools may not have books that depict or describe "sexual conduct" or are "inappropriate."

www.cbsnews.com

23

82

569

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 months

Me: [sighs heavily] 6-year-old: Why are you sighing? Me: It's been a long day. 6-year-old: Yeah, that happens when it gets closer to summer.

6

43

562

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

My 4-year-old thinks "each other" is actually three different words: 1. our-chuther: "We can support our-chuther" 2. their-chuther: "They can support their-chuther" 3. your-chuther: "You can support your-chuther" (i.e. you can support them) Language development is fascinating

12

60

548

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

My second grader is devastated--that she has to miss her last week of school, that we're keeping her isolated from her brother (he's too young to get vaccinated), and that her grandma can't come visit. And I'm exhausted and angry that we've given up trying to stop the spread. 4/

2

21

547

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

And... now I'm also testing positive. I tried to keep it contained to just my daughter (open windows, fans, masking most of the time), but it's hard (logistically and morally) to fully isolate from your own sick kid.

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

When my kids' schools stopped requiring masks a few weeks ago, I figured it was only a matter of time until they got it, even if they kept wearing KN95s (except at lunch/recess...) themselves And now here we are--my second grader has been sick all weekend and tested positive. 1/

35

125

1K

94

12

540

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

It's problematic to assume that women have a fixed preference for staying home with their children just because they express a preference for staying home under current societal conditions.

2

55

532

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

One of my 4-year-old's classmates has Covid, so his classroom is closed for 2 weeks. We looked into backup care with Care dot com, but there are no caregivers available in our area. So... we're right back where we were last year - caring for kids while working from home. 2/

5

50

515

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

Given these uncertainties, it's not surprising that many workers (especially mothers) are thinking of leaving the workforce and why others want access to remote work long-term. 6/

Tweet card media

For women, remote work is a blessing and a curse

Despite stress, depression, and overwork, women still want to work from home.

4

54

504

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

At our old house, I didn't have an office--just a laptop stand on the kitchen counter. Here's where I get to do my writing now ❤️

Tweet media one

21

1

512

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

6 years

Grad students need more explicit training on how to read, analyze, and synthesize (not just summarize) prior research. And how to use that existing literature to build a case for their own research. Those skills shouldn't be left to the hidden curriculum.

19

88

510

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

Update: We're still here. And my 5-year-old was *super* excited when he opened the new stuffed monster toy that matches the monster he drew/painted in art class at school.

Tweet media one

Tweet media two

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

We may be teetering on the edge of collapse, but given how much I appreciate the community I have here, I'm not letting go just yet. So here's a picture of the stuffed toy I had made from my 5-year-old's monster drawing. Hopefully we'll still be here when I get to give it to him.

Tweet media one

Tweet media two

3

9

243

12

7

502

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

9 months

This week, I turned in what will hopefully be the last major edits on my next book, HOLDING IT TOGETHER: HOW WOMEN BECAME AMERICA'S SOCIAL SAFETY NET. Which made for a very good reason to get dressed up a bit and celebrate.

Tweet media one

23

17

499

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

8 months

*coordinating schedules on a day w/o childcare* Me: I have a PhD defense from 9 to 11. Dan: I have a fantasy football draft at noon. Me: Well, I think one of those is more important than the other. Dan: Yeah, you're just a committee member, but I'm the commissioner this year.

9

6

498

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

Second: Brooke's case makes clear that universities have an interest in opposing state attacks on abortion--because of how those attacks affect students, faculty, and staff. Yet, as @nellgluckman wrote recently about Indiana, that's not happening here.//

Tweet card media

A President’s Response to Attacks on an Abortion Provider Widens a Rift With Faculty

A petition urges stronger support for an Indiana University medical professor who faced “politicized bullying” after providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim.

www.chronicle.com

1

94

484

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

Elder Millenials: the last generation to endure the awkwardness of *both* having to call and talk to random parents in order to find out if your friend was free to play and having to text parents you've never met before to ask if their kid is free to play with yours.

10

33

482

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

It's not clear how workers are supposed to deal with these ongoing care disruptions and with the ongoing (and arguably increasing) health threats to our kids. If my kids' schools are closed this semester, am I supposed to bring them to campus with me while I'm teaching? 5/

7

50

461

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

The lack of backup care isn't surprising. Our childcare center is struggling to fill positions. Especially with companies like Domino's advertising $15-$18/hr for delivery drivers, it's not surprising that no one wants to do childcare work for $10 or $12 an hour (or less). 3/

11

42

448

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

My point in sharing Brooke's story is twofold. First: Barriers to abortion have long existed in Indiana, but the state's new near-total abortion ban, signed yesterday, will make fertility decisions even more difficult and make pregnancy outcomes worse. 4/

Tweet card media

Indiana governor signs near-total abortion ban • Indiana Capital Chronicle

Indiana's governor signed into law a Republican-backed bill that will ban virtually all abortions in the state.

indianacapitalchronicle.com

2

65

431

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

2 years

Brooke decided to continue the pregnancy, but after the baby was born, her parents didn't follow through on their promise of support. Brooke ended up leaving college, living in public housing, and working full time as a childcare provider earning Indiana's $7.25 minimum wage. 3/

3

73

425

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

10 months

9-year-old: I made a friend at camp and she said her favorite color is pink. I feel like I hear that a lot, so I asked and more than 3/4 of the girls I surveyed said pink or purple. Why is that? Me: Why do you think? 9: Is it that p thing? Me: If you mean patriarchy then yes.

9

17

435

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

3 years

Given that kids aren't going to be eligible for vaccines any time soon, and with Delta spreading rapidly, we should expect a whole lot more of this to come. I won't be surprised if we end up with a whole bunch more 2-week gaps (or longer) in childcare this fall. 4/

2

47

424

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

1 year

20 years ago, I bumped into @DanCalarco at the @BrownUniversity dining hall--we were both heading to Model UN after dinner, so we figured we'd walk over together. Along the way, Dan asked if I wanted to go out for a real dinner sometime. The rest is history. ❤️

Tweet media one

Tweet media two

Tweet media three

18

5

429

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

8 months

Professors wonder why students are willing to use AI to cheat, while policymakers are sending the clear message that coursework is just about box-checking--learning no longer matters.

6

117

415

@JessicaCalarco

Jess Calarco

@JessicaCalarco

8 months

Things I'm reminding myself as I prep a new undergrad course: 1. Less is more (fewer topics/readings/assignments=deeper engagement, less burnout) 2. Guide their effort (eg, pre-class ungraded activities to prep for discussion) 3. Consistency is key (eg, work always due Fri 5pm)

6

32

413