June 28, 2013
“Enough with the Daddy Wars”
In an article for The American Prospect, E.J. Graff says that although “daddy wars” are no more true than “mommy wars” are, an important discussion has begun about the stress of limited time and having to choose between one’s job and one’s family. And it’s not “whining” to call attention to it. Says Graff: “Repeat after me, please: These are not gendered problems. The conflict between work and family is not gender-specific at all. There will be no specific solutions for guys. There will be no specific solutions for gals. These are American family problems. And until we see them that way, we will not solve them.” People are getting tired of the demands of employers who don’t allow flexibility and expect workers to be on call 24/7. She writes that what is new is that “dads and moms are about equally divided in their dislike of the work-family juggle.”