What a Way to Make a Living: Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5
Dolly Parton’s Anthem for Working Women
The American treasure that is Dolly Parton wrote “9 to 5” as the theme song for the movie of the same name, in which she co-starred with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. The song topped the charts in 1980, tapping into women’s growing frustrations in the struggle for equality and the never-ending challenge of juggling work and life.The movie follows three women co-workers seeking vengeance on their lecherous boss for his constant sexual harassment. The song and the film took their titles from the non-profit organization 9to5, which advocated for fair pay and equal treatment for women in the workplace. We discuss how far — or not –women have progressed since 1980, especially in pandemic conditions.
How Women Have Fared in the COVID-19 Pandemic
The New York Times reported in February about the plight of America’s mothers, many out of work, many forced to quit jobs to care for their children during the COVID-19 pandemic, many experiencing mental health issues from the strains and stresses of trying to juggle it all. The December 2020 jobs report revealed that 100% of the jobs lost during the month were held by women, when in December 2019 women outnumbered men in the U.S. workforce. Maybe we haven’t come as far as we thought?
Through it all Dolly Parton has been revealed as a real American hero, funding a vaccine for COVID-19 and even helping save the bald eagle. Is there nothing this woman can’t do?
Recommendations
In this episode we discuss:
Our fascination with HBO Max documentaries, like Heaven’s Gate:The Cult of Cults and Allen v. Farrow
The movie Midsommar
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s perfect duet, Islands in the Stream