Women can’t have it all

Slaughter wrote a very thoughtful article worth reading to the end if you’re struggling with work/life balance issues. Her acknowledgment of her own struggle prompted a story in The Washington Post about how and why the article went viral on the Web.

“Professional women of all types — bankers and lawyers and bureaucrats — are taking to the Internet to freak out, or at the very least, ponder the dreaded third rail of feminism, thanks to a viral story in the Atlantic that dredged up the classic, woman-baiting query,” wrote The Post’s Katherine Boyle.

Boyle noted: “In an age of unemployment, global debt crises and sky-high college debt, a public debate over how elites can find fulfillment in career and home might seem quaint, even a bit self-absorbed. . . But the article’s impact and nuances have resonated among both men and women.”

But in a response to Slaughter’s essay, Post columnist Ruth Marcus wrote Tuesday that woman “can have really, really a lot.” Marcus pointed out that Slaughter will still be teaching at Princeton University, writing columns and giving up to 50 speeches a year.

“If Slaughter’s article furthers the national conversation about accommodating women in the workplace, great,” Marcus said. “She makes the important — and painful — observation that nearly all the high-ranking women leaving the Obama administration have been replaced by men. But where I fear Slaughter does the cause an unintentional disservice is in the implication that women can generalize from her State Department experience.”

It’s your turn now. This week’s Color of Money Question: Can women – and men – have it all with a successful career and family? Send your responses to colorofmoney@washpost.com. Be sure to include your full name, city and state, and put “Women Can’t Have It All” in the subject line.

Home, Cool Home

In keeping with the “can you have it all” theme, how can we keep our houses cool this summer without pushing up our energy bills sky-high?

Kristen Hagopian of Galtime.com offers some frugal tips to keep cool this summer.

Here are a few.

--Use the grill. Keep the kitchen cool by cooling your meats, fish and vegetables for pennies with a small outside grill.

-- Prep your air conditioners. “If you have window air conditioners, make sure they fit snugly into the windows. Any gaps are going to let the cool (read: expensive) air out and the broiling hot summertime air in, not to mention my personal pet peeve, big bugs,” writes Hagopian.

-- Hang a clothesline. A cheap way to dry your laundry is to pin it outside on a clothesline. Not only will you turn off the hot dryer, but your clothes can enjoy the breeze.

Do you have some cost-efficient ways to summer-proof your home? Send your responses to colorofmoney@washpost.com. Be sure to include your full name, city and state. Put “Home Cool Home” in the subject line.

Can’t Wait to Stop Trying to Have It All

So, after years of trying to have it all, the majority of men and women can’t wait to retire from it all.

A survey by TD Ameritrade found that 52 percent of working adults agreed with the statement “I am looking forward to retirement,” reports Allison Linn on Today.com.

Those who responded that they weren’t looking forward to retirement most commonly said that they felt they didn’t have enough money saved to leave the workforce.

Tia Lewis contributed to this report.

You are welcome to e-mail comments and questions to colorofmoney@washpost.com. Please include your name and hometown; your comments may be used in a future column or newsletter unless otherwise requested.