Monday, August 11, 2008

"I don't know how she does it!"


...and increasingly, she doesn't know how either. Managing the stress of a full-time job on top of caring for young children has always been an unenviable challenge for mothers. According to a new study from Cambridge University, which analysed social attitudes towards mothers going out to work, there are increasing fears among both men and women that mothers working full-time is detrimental to the welfare of children.
As Jacqueline Scott the University's professor of empirical sociology puts it: "When it comes to the clash between work and family life, doubts about whether a woman should be doing both are starting to creep in."

In other words:
"It is conceivable that opinions are shifting as the shine of the 'super-mum' syndrome wears off, and the idea of women juggling high-powered careers while also baking cookies and reading bedtime stories is increasingly seen to be unrealisable by ordinary mortals."