This week's readings and class discussions focused a lot on the dynamics of gender and career. We explored the concept that women usually have to make the choice between having a career and having children.
I personally think this is a really hard situation. I have the biggest problem with employers who would prefer to hire a less qualified male canidate over a more qualified woman canidate who is pregnant or thinking about starting a family. I often think of what is going to happen to me when I am in the same situation sometime within the next ten years. So the question I ask myself: Should I continue on with my education and strive for a good career, when as soon as I get out of school it's going to be the ideal time to start a family? I think this pressure adds a lot of extra stress on women, especially those who are trying to do well for themselves and have a family at the same time.
We also talked about the roles of stay-at-home moms. I think it's a shame that some people don't consider being a mom a full-time job in itself. It clearly takes up more than 40 hours out of the week, it's never-ending. I think it's a great thing when a woman can balance a career and a family sucessfully and I hope that one day I will have that same kind of luck.
Until Next Time
or -- do we need to work on the culture of work so that we understand that men also have children and have to take time off to support them, to make sure that they grow -- and that if we think about work differently then it might not be so hard on women and families.
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