This headline caught my eye yesterday as I perused the MSN website: How 'Mommy' Can You Be at Work? The first thought I had was, how insulting and condescending! What an awful double standard! I cannot imagine coming across an article with the headline of How 'Daddy' Can You Be at Work?
Reading the article did not improve my initial reaction to the headline. The basic premise of the article highlights the balancing act facing the 31 million working moms* who are juggling the responsibilities of motherhood with the responsibilities of employment. The article cited a study that found co-workers believed working moms* were less dedicated employees. The journalist also talked to women who felt they had to hide the fact they were a mother in order to be respected at work.
Articles like this confirm my belief that there is still a capacious gender gap that permeates our society. It might not be popular, but it is true: women and men are treated differently, and nowhere is that more evident than in the workplace.
The article hypothesizes that the balancing act should disappear once Millennials take on management positions because "the generational shift will bring enormous changes to how, where and when we work. And that's only good news for working moms."
However, I am not as optimistic. I think there will always be a double standard between "working moms" and "working dads" due to the gender roles assigned by society wherein women are caretakers and men are providers.
What do you think?
*I hate the term "working moms" but I used it because it was used in the article. I would prefer the cumbersome term "moms who are employed outside the home" because using the term "working moms" diminishes the endeavors of "moms who are not employed outside the home." Makes sense, right?
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