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| A school event |
"Being a working mom is hard, damn hard." -attribution, "Working Moms Everywhere"
The media has gotten a lot of criticism for asking working women how they "do it all". People have complained that it is sexist to ask the question of women when the question isn't often asked of men. It's been rather universally criticized. However, I think that criticism is misplaced. Here's why.
With few exceptions, mothers are the fuel that make households run. I know this to be nearly universally true based on my research, experience and coaching. As one writer put it, “we work
all day, come home to homework that needs to be done, dinners that need
prepared, lunches that need to be packed, tears that need to be dried, and hugs
that need to be given. We know. We live it. It doesn’t matter if you’re making
a million a week or a thousand a month."
The struggle is the same whether the woman is a caregiver or CEO. And that struggle is very real.
Fair or not, the reality is, if a woman is in a heterosexual relationship and has children, she is
de facto presumed responsible for the household. It is almost like it is her birthright. This is not to denigrate the contributions of fathers, many of whom make considerable household contributions. However, the expectation is women are responsible. This expectation creates a lot of stress.
Every woman is who taking this journey feels it. And here we are "doing it all" while we are struggling to get to work on time, brush our teeth and look presentable all while making sure our kids have food to eat, a roof over their heads and feel loved.
Women Who Manage to Work and Raise a Family Are Inspiring!
So, when we hear about a mother who is managing to raise children, act in an Oscar-worthy movie, run an entire company or run for president, we are curious. We are deeply intrigued about how she manages to do what we do and make those boss moves. We know that she is also either personally doing it all or making sure it gets done and we are curious as hell about how her household is managed. In a word, we have questions and we want answers.
"Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, except backwards and in high heels." Bob Thaves
It took so much effort for me to show up dressed and in makeup for the photo above that I almost lost it. And that was just a breakfast event at the school. Being a presidential candidate requires building a reputation, cultivating your brand, and showing up looking your best a lot. You also have to speak coherently, field unexpected questions, and make sure that you manage to go to bathroom at the appropriate intervals so that you never appear to be in a rush.
The whole notion of pulling it off seems overwhelming. Granted, I have three kids under eight and the candidates kids are older. Still, when they had young children they must have been pretty bad ass. I actually think that their stories, their entire stories, proves how capable they really are.
Apr 14, 2019 - We are, for the first time in American history, talking about a slew of political leaders who are mothers and stepmothers, including 2020 ...
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