Working in retail is rough. Although I spent a day working a shift, the level of exhaustion and stress I experienced that one day must be what my mom goes through every day she works. For all my life, my mother has worked at a retail store called Express where she brought me to work with her. Those times are what gave me the motivation to pursue a job and gave me the idea to pursue a life in fashion, or more specifically a life in retail. In the beginning, I thought working retail is interesting and thought if my mom could do it then I can as well.…
While Zaleski brings up some compelling points, she commits several logical fallacies that weaken her argument. For example, she argues that “mothers are the people you need on your team” because mothers have a good work ethic and high motivation due to their already busy schedules. Zaleski commits hasty generalization here because she concludes that all mothers can balance the demands of raising a family, having a career, and taking care of themselves at the same time. She fails to consider that not all women can handle such a full schedule, making this assertion illogical. Furthermore, she neglects to back up this statement with scholarly evidence, making it opinionated rather than factual.…
In this chapter, Coontz addresses the constant pressure and scrutiny women face when balancing careers and family life. According to Coontz (1992), people have accused women of destroying the morality and integration of their families’ by adopting “self-seeking, materialistic lifestyles” promoted by feminism. Coontz (1992) then discusses the two origins of Mother’s Day: the first celebrated motherhood as a political force whereas the second viewed it as a reinforcement of the domestic role women take in their private lives (p.152). The later definition was the catalyst of future marketing and commercialization of motherhood highlighting the domestic role women were expected to take which was far from being a social activist. Loosing such significance, as described by Coontz, encase women in a role that offered comfort to their companion and their children by putting their personal fulfillment on hold (1992,…
Motherhood has been viewed as a glorified state throughout decades and mothers have been held to a high standard. Abby Arnold, the author of “The Rhetoric of Motherhood”, explains that these views have “became the justification for political and economic restrictions on women, the foundation for placing on the mother sole responsibility for how her children developed.” Through our language, lack of considering the fathers roles, corporate structure and stereotypes, we are still stuck with these ideologies of motherhood. It is clear that although we have made many advances in our society of accepting working mothers, we still have a way to go. The “myths of motherhood still permeate our culture” and restrict mothers from having a career and from being a mom (Arnold,2003).…
The demanding nature of our current workforce in combination with the many roles fulfilled within life can in some cases have a negative impact on individuals’ mental health, and family life. Incorporated knowledge about the ‘work-family interface’ is needed to address the complexities between work and family life. Donna E. Palladino Schulttheiss gives attention to four avenues of this topic: the meaning of work embedded in people’s lives, multiple life roles, work and family navigation, and supportive family systems. She explains, work can have varying emotions attached, some people feel a sense of belonging at work, others can feel estranged and rejected. It is important for psychologists to have an intersectional understanding of the meaning…
Women’s roles in professional settings are very controversial. Should they be at home with their family, should they be working, or should they do both? In “Lean In: What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?” by Sheryl Sandberg, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” by Anne-Marie Slaughter, and “Why men still can’t have it all” by Richard Dormant they all show us their differing opinions on whether women can truly “have it all”, whether women are treated equal to men in the work world, and whether men should play a greater role at home so their wives can work a fulfilling job without having to take on all the responsibility at home.…
Reading Response #2: Being a woman in today’s society I have the prospect of being a mother and since I plan to have a successful career as well reading “Complex Inequality and “Working Mothers”” was almost like a glimpse into the battles I might face in the future. The article early on discusses individualism and a discussion on the feminist idea of “having it all” and the struggle between devoting ones self to their family and community while also balancing paid work. I think the idea of “having it all” is a tempting promise that cannot be kept. Once women become mothers they find that the balance of work life and motherhood is actually quiet difficult. At one point Oakley argues that a “women’s self esteem and well being will become…
For none of these activities am I paid…” Mothers do not get paid for all the love and extra things they do for the family when half the time it goes unnoticed. A mother does more than what she is expected, she goes above and beyond. As time from the 1950’s progressed and got closer to 2000, American opinions on stay at home moms have influenced today’s mother for the…
Counter-Arguments While the previous section provided concrete evidence to showcase the obstacles women in medicine are currently facing, there is also literature that suggests the opposite. Not all women have a difficult time succeeding at carrying out multiple roles as a mother, wife, and doctor. McMurray’s study revealed that when compared to their coworkers with one or no children, female physicians with three children were “more happy, more stable in their specialties, and more likely to once again become a physician if given the chance”. However, a separate survey of female physicians in the United States observed that despite the overall high degree of career satisfaction, about one-third of the women indicated that they “might not” or “definitely would not” choose to be a physician again if given the chance (Robinson).…
A mother always wants to help support the family and with the bills. It is hard sometimes because the mother would have to take care of the younger children that can’t do for them self. Some women who don’t have a job and try to help out make them feel like they good enough or helpless. Being a working mother can be stressful because of the children and a husband can be very stressful especially having to clean up the house and cooking for the whole family is tough. Some mother can’t do both so they either put the child in day care or schooling.…
Another reason more women than men leave the workforce to be with family is because of the emotional connections they feel towards their children. This connection is much stronger in women than in men. Because of what makes up their human nature as a mother, many researchers find women more likely than men to put family before a career. Although many people want more women in the workforce, it is sometimes impossible unless her partner can be a stay-at-home dad. Even if this is the case, it implies that women will feel as comfortable as men do about leaving their children behind.…
She emphasizes the fact that household responsibilities are seen as a distraction in the workplace and women often hide or internalize their frustration. However, She doesn 't offer any explanation as to why Superwoman Syndrome (SWS) affects so many women. Psychotherapist, Vaishali Patel, dedicates her practice to the subject and explains, "It’s the result of societal changes that allowed women to explore having a career, however, did not redelegate the responsibilities of managing their personal and family life.” There are two main points in her explanation. First, women feel compelled to work hard when competing in the workplace.…
Ignorance is bliss; I have thought so quite often in my race to be the perfect mom. There is so much science behind everything we do today. There is child development research, brain research, genetic research – all of which tell mothers what they should or should not be doing and how they should or should not be doing it! Raising children has become a science and mothers are trying to be scientists doing everything perfectly.…
10 Things that only Indian Mothers can understand Being a mother is not easy but being an Indian Mother is full of numerous challenges. A mother is considered to be the primary caregiver but a father also has an important role to play in the upbringing of the child. However, in an Indian household, the mother has the most important role to play and follow certain set rules while parenting, that don’t apply in any other country! Yes, believe it or not, Indian mothers go through a lot.…
More women are having to work to bring in more income for the household. Families are now starting to have more than one member of the family work due to America’s problem with consumerism. However, women working creates a division between their career and family time. Often times mothers work like a jigsaw puzzle as they try to have the ability to fit multiple responsibilities into their day and the ability to solve everyday problems. This need to be the “supermom” and juggling various roles in order to satisfy both her career and family usually results in the mother ignoring her own…