Working mothers – are we skiving?
Do working mothers have it easier than others? Sam tackles the issue.
Do you think working mothers have it easier at work than non-breeders?
Fairlady ran a story on this terribly touchy topic a while back, which I found really brave and interesting. And... eye-opening.
I feel nothing asking my boss, Deirdre (who is also a working mother) for time off if I need to cover for my husband or housekeeper on the child care front. That's the upside.
I'm very careful not to abuse this, though. I can access our office server from home and Deirdre and I have many a 9 – 11pm email work discussion, after our four children are safely down. It's this tacit understanding – that we both know we work at night – which allows us a little (and only a little) day time flexibility.
Given the number of working mothers I find online at night, I'm assuming this arrangement is fairly standard for us mother-managers. I don't know whether it works for mothers with more day-to-day output commitments. You tell me.
Of course, we could never make this arrangement official as that would screw with our entrenched concept of professionalism – work and home don't mix in the corporate world. (Don't get me started on that actually, it's one of my pet peeves. Just because you can't do two things at once boys, doesn't mean we can't).
But where does that leave the non-sprogged among us? Are they left carrying the can?
One of my friends, Nicola, firmly believes so.
"Breeders always trump leave requests," she spat over drinks one evening. "And is it my fault YOUR kid needs the dentist? Or that sports day happens during the working week?
"Hell, if I asked to go watch my boyfriend play soccer on a Wednesday afternoon, I'd be laughed out of the office. It drives me mad."
I get her point. But I'd like to hear yours. Are there mothers out there with one foot in the office and one in the park? Or are the kid-free being childish?
Do you agree with Sam's opinion? Share your thoughts below.
- Women24