Equally Shared Parenting - Half the Work ... All the Fun



 Subscribe in a reader

Here's where we keep you updated on news about parenting as it relates to division of responsibilities, career versus home decisions, work/life balance, and legislative and grass-roots movements toward equality or better choices for families. We'll also throw in our opinions of life as equal parents in a nonequal world, regardless of what's in the news.

Add to Technorati Favorites


Equality Blog

Thursday, July 12, 2007

We're Not There Yet

Another Pew Research Center poll was announced today. This one asked mothers and fathers about their ideal job - full-time, part-time or not working at all. Not surprisingly, mothers chose part-time work. But this preference is growing stronger over the years; it is now the ideal for 60% of working mothers (and 33% of SAHMs). The answer for fathers is still overwhelmingly for full-time work (72% list this as their ideal). The survey includes many statistics on the public's opinion of whether working mothers are good or bad for kids, mothers' opinions on how much they should work, and the ideal work arrangement for mothers, but no similar statistics for fathers. Hmmm.

The primary finding in the study, and that discussed most in analyses of the data, is that while mothers desire part-time work, the majority of working mothers do not actually have part-time schedules. There is a disconnect between what women want and what they have. Not so for men, it seems.

I see the survey as evidence that we've still got a long way to go to reach gender equality. What's best for kids shouldn't be just about the work lives of mothers. It should be about the involvement of all parents.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Links to this post:

Create a Link

<< Home

Powered by Blogger


  Home · What is Equally Shared Parenting? · How It Works · ESP The Book · Equality Blog · In the News · Toolbox · Real Life Stories · Contact Marc and Amy · Resources
All Contents ©2006-2010 Marc and Amy Vachon