Investment Banking and American Obstetrics Have a Lot in Common

If you have not read Michael Lewis's The End yet or if you don't have any connection to the Investment Banking industry at all, please read the first and last pages so you understand your dear Attached Feminist a little better. To Michael, thank you for your voice from another who was confused at 24. You inspire me to shout things people don't want to hear and need to from my mountaintop of a blog.

What do the Investment Banking and
American Obstetrics Industries Have in Common?

1. Both appear to be providing a service to you when in fact they do not work for you but for a flawed system.

2. The service does not demonstrate proper evidence that it provides what it says it should

3. Both employ young people with big educations to talk authoritatively to you about things that you may know much more about, simply by using common sense

4. These things (your money, your body, your child) are things of vital importance to your day-to-day life. The service provider, though affected by a negative outcome, will not feel it daily the way you will.

5. If you disagree with an expert, you will often be made to feel ignorant and small

6. If you part from that expert, your friends and family will think you are crazy....

7. ....until you prove your point. They then will a) wonder how you got so bold as to question society's norms and b) continue to have mixed emotions about it all.

8. If data increases and the media get a hold of it, the industry will not take the warning and overhaul from within. Instead, experts will dismiss the data and begin a witch-hunt. They will fight for what they know and forget who will be hurt by the fight.

9. Consumers of these services are often ignorant until too late to save themselves from harm

10. Consumers will say it didn't feel right but they trusted the service provider

Lessons to Learn

1. If it doesn't sound right: research
2. If it doesn't feel right: research
3. If you have any doubt in your mind it isn't right....RESEARCH.
4. Even if you love your service provider, follow up with a little bit of research!

Trust yourself. Take control over your life. Find your voice. Or a doula who will help you. Like Michael Lewis.