MUMSCAST
The Fall of the Super-Mum?
Research that studied the results of social attitude surveys from the eighties to present found that attitudes towards working women are becoming less favourable. The findings show that 46% of women and 42% of men believe that a mum who works is not harming her family. The research, conducted by Jacqueline Scott, a professor of empiricial sociology at Cambridge University, suggests that growing numbers of people are concerned about the impact of working mothers on family life.
Ms Scott said '"It is conceivable that opinions are shifting as the shine of the 'super-mum' syndrome wears off, and the idea of women juggling high-powered careers while also baking cookies and reading bedtime stories is increasingly seen to be unrealisable by ordinary mortals."
Well, we think the Telegraph columnist, Cassandra Jardine puts it quite well, 'Naturally there are times when I feel pulled in two directions, but mostly I believe I thrive on having both work and a family - and so do my five children.' She adds that 'Like most women, I work primarily because I have to. Without my income we wouldn't just be cutting back on foreign holidays, we would be stuffed.'
Ms Jardine reckons there are two solutions to the problem. She says "One has two legs, often suffers from pattern baldness, and doesn't seem to figure in this report. If women find they can't manage work and family, it is because they either don't have men around or the men aren't pulling their weight domestically." She says the other "lies with employers who still seem reluctant to accept that Britain's long working hours are not something to be proud of..."
Meanwhile, the campaign officer of the Fawcett Society (which campaigns for equality between women and men in the UK on pay and pensions) said "The long working hours culture and lack of flexible working means women are presented with impossible choices - forced to choose between caring for a family at home or maximising their career opportunities." She added that "The result is that motherhood carries a penalty and women and men are strait-jacketed by gender stereotypes." Her view is that "We need wholesale transformation."
It is interesting to note, though, that this problem does seem to be more prevalent in the UK than in other European countries such as Holland, Germany and France.
Do you have a view?
To read the full column by Cassandra Jardine on the Telegraph website, click here
To read more about the research on the BBC website, click here
no comments