Families and Civic Trust

Professor Elshtain talked about “private lives and public ethics.” She said that civil society

inherently existed outside the large institutions of society, reacting

with government and economic institutions. She noted that the surge

in women in the workforce over the past 20 years had created a

dilemma for civil society. With fewer people volunteering and with

less time to spend with children, she said that the traditional

pillars of the civil society were eroding, while government and

economic institutions had maintained traditional roles. She then

suggested some alternative approaches. After her comments she

answered questions from the audience. close