The role of women has changed a lot throughout the past century – even the past few years – and now in today’s society women have more opportunities than their mothers and grandmothers.
The life of a working woman started in 1869 when women were finally given the right to work, but working mums were almost unheard of back then, as women mostly had to stop working once married. As times changed, mums were given more chances to enjoy working life, but it wasn’t until the Equal Pay Act 1970 where real major changes happened. More women entered working roles, and mums were finally able to work and support the family.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies explains that from 1975 to 2015, mums who are working has risen by nearly 50%. Yet, why do working mums still receive negative viewpoints? And how can the Splento App help decrease the guilt that some working mums experience?
Why do some people look down on working mums?
When looking through the past and the different types of society that different generations have gone through, women have always been seen as the home giver, meaning they are seen as the nurturing ones, and therefore look after the children.
In some ways, this can make sense as women are the ones who carry the baby for nine months and they create a bond during that time. However, as time progressed, society became the place where most women now have the freedom to choose what they want in their life; this gives mums the choice to go back to work even after having a child.
But, due to how the world viewed such matters only a few decades ago, some people still believe that in a household there are separate roles, one where women should remain as stay-at-home mums.
Ultimately, any mum should have the choice if they want to stay at home or work, but this negative viewpoint has caused people to believe that working mums cannot be good at both; they believe being a mum and an employee are mutually exclusive.
Fortunately, we no longer live in the 20th century, and the normality of that generation is believed to be gone as we live in this new millennium. However, it can still be seen that the past affects some people’s viewpoint – and this is why some people continue to look down on working mums, even though they have every right to work no matter how old their child is.
Why do some working mums feel guilty?
There are many factors as to why some working mums feel guilty. One of the reasons can be seen from different studies and reports that mention mums who work affect their child’s development. The Institute for Social and Economic Research did a study on mums going to work and how it can give a disadvantage to children. Reports like these cause guilt because when looking at these studies from a working mum’s point of view.
However, it is important to remember that this study came out in the early 2000s, and many others also came out around this time with the same conclusion.
But looking at more recent studies (such as this one by the University of Cologne), we can see that mums working actually have little impact on their child’s development, and if their child is at a disadvantage, there are many factors at play. It is too simplistic to assume the working status of the mum is the causal factor.
Many recent studies like this give a much clearer point of view because not only do we now have more data on working mums, but they take into consideration all other relevant factors. The conclusion? Working mums should not feel guilty about working.
However – easier said than done.
Based on old ideas about child-rearing and these legacy studies, some people in today’s society still judge working mums, believing they have less time to focus on their children.
This has led to the situation where “We expect women to work like they don’t have children, and raise children as if they don’t work.”
This can create unnecessary guilt within women because it is extremely hard to keep the two roles separate, expecting women to do this is like expecting a fish to climb a tree – impossible. Unfortunately, working mums will sometimes miss out on some of their child’s achievements due to work, but this is inevitable.
Ultimately, the judgement of society causes the dilemma that working mums feel, and this something that needs to be changed; mums shouldn’t feel guilty if they work, they have been given this freedom of choice and therefore should choose what is best for them. And let us not forget, in many cases today, mums do not have a choice whether to work or not – economic pressures mean that they have to – for the sake of the family.
How can the Splento App help?
There are ways that the Splento App can help working mums keep in closer touch with their children when they are working.
It can help working mums break the expectations, and blur the line of looking after children and work for the better, meaning, childcare shouldn’t take over work-life, just like work-life shouldn’t take over spending time with your child and the Splento App can help with that.
Schools that use the Splento App will allow teachers to take photos of their students when they are in the classroom, or performing in assembly, and many other activities. These photos are sent instantly to the parent’s mobile devices, meaning that the working mums will still be able to see the science experiment their child is doing in class or the basketball game that their child is taking part in.
The Splento App is a bridge for working mums to see all of the exciting activities that their child is doing even if they are not there to physically see it happening.
It’s a way to keep that bond between mother and child continuing even when the mum is having to work. It’s also a way for a working mum to show their support to their child even when work-life gets rather hectic, helping mum and child still feel connected while they both are living their lives.
If you are interested in learning more about the Splento App, the best way is to simply start using it.
If you want to find out more first, and how it can benefit you, there is more information on exploring the Splento App for parents.
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