A trend that is bothersome to me are jobs that are advertised as work for stay-at-home moms. Once you take a paid job, whether from home or not, you are no longer a stay-at-home mom. You are a mom that works from home and also cares for children. Or vice versa, however you want to state it.
If a father took a part-time job at home he would likely be referred to as first an employee of XYZ company and second as the primary care giver of his children.
I’d prefer the term “flexible work arrangement” which would mean that the job allows you to work around caring for your children. Why should ads touting jobs for stay-at-home moms not continue? Because those ads lessen the work of motherhood. Being a full time caregiver IS a job. When we expect women to both care for children and hold down paid work we are expecting too much and setting up moms to feel like failures.
Filed under: child care, flex time, job sharing, parenting, telecommuting, work from home
