In Joan Williams' book Unbending Gender, she discusses the notion of what is an ideal-worker in our economy. In general, the people who are able to perform as ideal workers are men, because they have the advantage of assumed caregivers at home. While their wives are expected to routinely deal with care for children, men are able to work longer hours with less work-family conflict and earn the higher wages. In the meantime, women are faced with so-called "mommy tracks" which leave little room for advancement in their careers. The ideal-worker image also dictates a 5 day work week with increasingly long hours - something that can be conflicting and difficult for a working mother.
Williams offers her solution in the restructuring of market work, involving shortening the work week, flexible hours and job sharing. Wouldn't everyone be better off if they worked only 4 day work weeks? In a time when we have all become so crunched for time, it would be nice to take that extra day off to relax. Not only would the extra time be useful for personal reasons, but it would allow for families to spend more time with their children and figure out easier childcare options. Along with this, letting workers cooperate to work out flexible hours and job sharing would make advancement in careers a task that's more agreeable with raising children. What should be important is the quality of the prodouct produced by a worker rather than the actual time spent doing the work. In order to accomodate for families yet allow growth in careers, job sharing and flexible schedules enable women to continue to do the work they're successful with and yet spend the time with their children.
Even though it sounds like some sort of idealistic world, it also seems something that would work tremendously well if it was accepted by everyone. Oh I forgot to mention, restructuring the work place doesn't only have positive outcomes for women, but men are also benefiting and potentially escaping some of the standards placed upon them as workers. If these things occured, I think it would make the decision for mothers to work or not much less daunting.
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I don't know what to think of the 4-day work week, but I like the sound of flex time. Susan Maushart (Mask of Motherhood) recommends this too, more specifically that both mama and papa work part time and then takes care of child(ren) and home part time. That way the child gets the best of both, and both parents get a richer understanding and respect for what it takes to take care of child and home, while they also get to pursue their own career, though not excessively as in their pre-children stage (and not-excessive is most likely a good thing).
ReplyDeleteThis has been my experience. First year I was home fulltime with our daughter. This second year of her life, my husband and I have taken turns writing and being with her. It's been good for our relationship. We lived such different lives her first year of life, we were drifting apart; he felt he "lost" me, I felt he didn't get what was going on. This year he sees how hard it is and I feel a little more energized and the alleviation allows me to invest myself in something that's truly energizing and rewarding to me: my work, writing.
Mothering is my work too, but it's all about giving. There are rewards too, but it's different. Mothering is so selfless.
Writing is in a sense indulgent (though it's a darn struggle too).
I think for me it's just good to have two hats to wear: mama, writer. I need space, not to feel claustrophobic. stuck. in one thing. I need to feel I'm still somewhat alive in my head.
two more things:
ReplyDelete- today primarily fulltime jobs come with benefits. We need health care insurance, what with a child and all especially. Wince we have barely no income, we now have it through the state. For many part time job is not a real option for this reason (lack of benefits).
- I know friends who've complained they need to be in the office till five (quantity), though they've gotten the job done (quality). That's such a waste of resources! if you get the job done in less time, you should be free to go and invest yourself somewhere else. That means more outcome on the overall. I don't get this over regulation and no trust of employees.