Lifetime 'listens' to Edwards women on career vs. family

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- More than 30 women gathered over lunch Monday in the Conference Center's Looking Glass Room to share their views on life, love, politics and the world with representatives from the Lifetime television network.

As part of a multi-platform initiative, Lifetime is traveling the country a part of a research project designed to get a clear picture of what drives the women of Generation "Why."

"Lifetime has a big commitment to our viewers, not just to entertain them, but to inform on big issues like breast cancer awareness, self esteem issues and domestic violence," said Toby Graff, Lifetime TV's vice president of public affairs.

After reading some controversial headlines in major newspapers about women in their 20s deciding to opt out of the work force to start families, Lifetime decided to dig deeper into the issue.

"Many of the articles we read simply stated that younger women, around the age of 25, weren't placing as much emphasis on work as they were on their families, the problem was many of these articles didn't delve into it any further," Ms. Graff said. "We (at Lifetime) decided to do some real, hard research, both qualitative and quantitative, and compare our findings with other generations."

Lifetime has approached the project from three sides, said Willow Bay, journalist, host and executive producer for the project. They began with pulse polls, which are quantitative in nature, then began the listening tours. The listening tours are qualitative and allow the researchers to hear directly from the women. The final platform will culminate with a one-hour feature on Lifetime called "Spotlight 25."

The listening tour began in New York with round table discussions with editors of leading women's magazines whose demographics include Generation "Why."

"After New York, we went to Capitol Hill to hear from young women working in senators' offices or for non-profit organizations," said Mel Kennedy, producer for the TV special. "Edwards is one of our first stops. We wanted to hear the distinct viewpoint of military women and military spouses."

The driving force behind the listening tour was to make sure Lifetime gets it right, Ms. Graff said.

"We are visiting colleges and different work settings, across all geographic regions, economic and education levels," Ms. Bay said. We want to flesh out a picture of what the women of Generation "Why" are really like."

The group discussed everything from their careers, family situations and work to finding "Mr. Right."

"Our generation of women is dedicated to helping people and making a difference and I wanted to share that," said Staff Sgt. Angela Varner, 95th Medical Group dental technician.

Following the group's discussion on life issues affecting "20-somethings," Ms. Bay said that there were some clear themes throughout all the women they have spoken with. "A running theme seems to be that women of this generation have a great deal of opportunity, but sometimes that ability to choose can create more challenges than if their life had been laid out for them."

Balancing work and life seems to be one of the greatest challenges facing Generation "Why."

Lifetime is committed to improving the lives of girls and women, and their families through education, awareness and legislation. This campaign is just one way we are trying to make a difference by staying and keeping our viewers informed about key issues, Ms. Graff said.

"Anyone can make a difference, and I, and everyone at Lifetime, want to thank our military for their service and commitment to our country," Ms. Bay said.