. . . Call mom.
That's basically what happens when things go awry in our kids' lives, according new findings from the University of Cincinnati.
While we all recognize that dads are helping out more than ever before and that times are a'changing, some things remain the same: Women are more likely to leave their jobs to attend to their children.
If you're mom working outside the home (or at home for that matter), you already know this. You're probably the one who gets the call when the baby's temp spikes to 99.9 degrees and you drop everything you're doing to go pick him up. Or when your finicky fourth-grader skips breakfast and gets so dizzy that he's sent to the school nurse who says she has to be picked up and fed a full plate of protein. Now.
UC sociologist David Maume examined data from The National Study of the Changing Workforce and found that more than 77 percent of women vs. 26.5 percent of men leave work when child-related emergencies come up. Maume gives considerable context to the disparity, and notes that men who have more tenure on the job are probably more likely to be able to leave. Women, meanwhile, find workaround solutions to cover both work and child issues---a topic I tackled last month in a story for the Hamilton Journal-News.
If you've ever e-mailed your work from your desk to your house, downloaded an important file to your Blackberry to look at later, or thrown everything except the break room sink into a bag and took off with the promise of, "I'll check in later. . .," then you know exactly what Maume means. You've nursed a newborn on your lap while meeting publication deadlines for the annual report. Or maybe you closed a deal with a client by phone and simultaneously juggled call-waiting with the pediatrician's office on the other line.
It's not easy, but you get it done. And you do it well.
So, the next time there's an emergency, make sure your cellphone is on. We'll be calling you.
1 comment:
You are absolutely right; mothers are usually the ones juggling more than their fair share of unforeseen events surrounding their children. Not that we women are complaining or anything, but, shouldn't there be some sort of balance? Being a single mom unfortunately doesn't make it any better. Sometimes I feel relieved that I can make decisions for my daughter without any conflict from her father; while at other times I feel overwhelmed and uncertain. Multi-tasking a job, school, parenting, and life in general can be a phenomenon in itself, not to mention life’s little uncertainties. What is a little Kalamazoo girl to do? How does a mom organize and still find time for herself?
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