The supposed death of the Supermum
August 7th, 2008 by dianaThe dream is over. According to reports in some of today’s papers, the death knell of the Supermum rings loud and free and chaos abounds.
Or maybe not, could it be that though the report from Cambridge university, which kicked off this flurry of articles, reckons that more then half of British society believe that working Mums are evil incarnate, it might all be hyperbole?
As I blogged last week, there is clear evidence of women not only juggling but positively relishing work and family, and this should be celebrated and not put under tireless scrutiny.
So where do you stand in the debate? Do you think women can really enjoy work whilst having a family? Or maybe it is wrong and domesticity is the only natural solution? And what about that often forgotten aspect of the debate, what role do men play in the domestic life?
Join me here at the blog and let me know what you think
Diana x
August 12th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Interesting! I think women still feel that they should feel guilty for working and bringing up their family and perhaps, when asked, they are afraid of appearing “cold” if they do not worry about the effect of their working on their children.
I am a working Mum and I feel that the independence my son has is essential to his future. I know he can look after himself, is a confident young man and, as a family we have been able to experience opportunities and places that we would not have been able to afford if only my husband worked. In fact i am the main breadwinner in the family but this has simply meant that my son and husband have a fantastic close relationship which surely, no one can say is a bad thing. I equally value those Mums that wish to stay at home – it is a matter of choice, not guilt. Every family is different and every child is different. No guilt pressure please from any more scrutinising from university academics – this is a practical issue for individual families. Lets face it Women have huge amounts to give and have made a massive positive impact in business and employment – can we afford to loose that? I don’t think so!
August 12th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Ahh but it is the pressing guilt that working Mums are seemingly beaten with until bloody and raw that really gets my goat. I grew up with a mother that worked and as a young girl I didn’t feel dismissed or ignored. In fact I understood why my Mum wanted to work, both for economic and development reasons, and I vowed to follow suit. Working women are a boom for industry! I wish certain chunks of society would shout this from the rooftops rather then moan. Boo.