Working Mothers and Children
It would seem that Western culture is not always making the right moves. A British 3-year study concluded that children had a harder life now than their parents did when they were young. Part of the problem, the report states, is that parents are working more in recent times and consequently children are lacking the emotional stimulus they would normally have acquired from them. In previous generations this would have been provided by the stay-at-home mother, whereas nowadays women are far more likely to go back to work after pregnancy. This is leading to some important questions being asked about the plight of female equality. The implication is that many would see this as a call to return to old-fashioned values because of the so-called proof that working mothers damage their children’s development. I think differently. Women’s equality in the workplace and motherhood are not mutually exclusive. There is a solution to be found and it is not in the family home, but in the workplace. Working laws and culture have created an environment where men benefit more. If these laws changed to fit in more with a varied lifestyle, such as non-standard working hours, maximum number of working days, flexible working arrangements, then everyone would benefit. The rigid 9-5 working culture is geared towards the stereotypical male employee and is really a relic of a darker age. Employment flexibility is the key to ensuring that both men and women work in cultures suited to their gender and allows both parents to spend adequate time with their children. Making women the scapegoat for a fall in family cohesion, is really only a symptom of the subtle inequality which still exists in Western culture today.
