Women and Mothers in the Society

The place and importance of women in society is one of the most often studied subjects across numerous academic fields. Additionally, there is the issue of the difficulties they encounter. Women in particular encounter numerous obstacles when trying to enter and stay employed in a certain industry. The ladies who choose to stay at home with their children in order to focus on the family also encounter their fair share of difficulties. In this context, researchers have looked into a number of variables that influence both working mothers and mothers who stay at home. Metaphorically, the term glass ceiling is used to refer to a certain stage or level which a certain demographic category, in this case women, cannot go beyond that stage in the hierarchy. The term was coined by feminists in their observation on high achieving women and the stage that they could not go beyond. The most vulnerable type of women in reference to the issues of the glass ceiling are the minority women. This is because they have a likelihood of double edged discrimination- being women, and being colored.

Unfortunately, the modern America, and in deed the world, still has a glass ceiling for women. There is ample evidence about situations where there has not been a level playing field for both the men and the women, putting the women at a disadvantage.

According to Weyer (2007), a theoretical explanation on the constant presence of a glass ceiling among the women is based on the expectation theory as well as the social role theory. With the application of either theoretical framework, there is a visible evaluation bias that is directed towards the women.

Obstacles to Women Running for Political Office

To both the Republican and the Democratic Party, there is a gaping disparity between the men and the women in the ambition for power. The society has the perception that a man is more qualified to run for political office than a woman is. Thus, a female political candidate is vulnerable to gender stereotypes and the impact thereof.

According to Stoles (2005), the media is partly to blame for the challenges that face women who are running for political office. He explains that the media does not lay a strong emphasis on the positions held by women on various issues more so the contentious issues. On the contrary, it lays a strong emphasis on their personal characteristics. Closely related to this is the concept of news as a social construction that is driven by the subjective perceptions of the reporters.

Another critical factor when it comes to women and politics is the fact that there are few women incumbents. The assumption here is that an incumbent has the resources and influence to ensure retention of power. If there were more women leaders already in political office, a significant number of them would survive the political temperatures from one election to another.

A notable example of the barriers that women face in leadership is that of Hillary Clinton. Her supporters have expressed their frustration on the fact that Hillary Clinton was not taken seriously in some cases. In other situations, there was a growing perception that she was riding on the popularity of Bill Clinton and not her own effort.

On an optimistic note though, there has been major improvement in the political landscape as pertaining to women and political opportunities. In 2016, Hillary Clinton went all the way to becoming a Democratic nominee- and that is no small feat. She also served America quite well as the secretary of state.

Children Raised by Working Moms vs Stay at Home Mums

The debate about the life of the children of the working mothers viz a viz the life of the children of stay at home mothers has been a matter of contention. Typically, such debates elicit different responses and arguments. In addition to that, the answers, outcomes, and experiences are relative.

A study carried out by Harvard School of Business found that daughters of mothers who are working tend to be more successful than their peers and have a higher likelihood of being bosses (Bhattacharya, 2015). The sons of working mothers tend to take chores that are traditionally perceived to be for the women such as cleaning the house and cooking.

Globally, children of mothers who are working tend to shy away from the traditional gender specific home such as a female homemaker in favor of joining the corporate world. The study found that daughters of working mothers earn higher than the daughters of stat at home mums (Bhattacharya, 2015).

The significance of working mothers is that they assume the position of a role model. Being employed requires specific skills, and being maintained by the company requires commitment. Consequently, the children are able to learn specific lessons from their mother. It is therefore not surprising to find some children taking on the careers of the parents due to the exposure that they have had in the family. However, the study had one peculiar observation- career prospects of the children of the families which are generally conservative are not affected by the variable of the mother being employed or not.

Working Mothers in Need of Flexible Work Schedule

It is not uncommon to find employees not airing their views in order to protect their jobs. However, one group of employees has been the most affected- the working mother who doubles work with being a caregiver. The term maternal wall bias is used to describe the type of discrimination that working mothers face when they seek a more favorable working environment such as having flexible working hours.

Some working mothers who have desired more flexible working hours have sought the intervention of the court. If a working mother is able to convince the court about her case, then there is a high probability for a large settlement.

The fact is that discrimination on working mothers who are seeking flexible schedule exists in the work place. As a matter of concern, it is not that some managers do not have gender bias, it is that they do not air their gender opinion in order not to antagonize the employees or face a lawsuit. However, working mothers should be more conscious about their rights in the workplace. For example, after delivery, a woman is not supposed to do heavy work until the time she heals. Therefore, if such a woman was doing manual work which is heavy in nature, the manager should look for another position in the company for the employee. Similarly, a working mother should be given an opportunity to breastfeed the new born. There are a few companies which offer an infant-at-work service much to the relief of the working mothers.

Should Stay at Home Mum Get a Salary From the Government

Traditionally, the assigning of roles has largely been based on gender. Even with the changes that have come with modernity, such roles are still shared according to gender, at least to a large extent. On one hand, the man is assumed to be the breadwinner of the family. On the other hand, the woman is supposed to do nurturing and house chores.

Therein lies the discontent among the women. When a man takes employment, he is compensated per the agreed time. However, the woman has to carry out functions such as caring for the children, cooking, and cleaning the house. This chores are recurrent, take a lot of time, and do not attract a paycheck. In this light, there has been calls that the government should offer working mothers a paycheck. The rationale behind this is that this initiative would recognize their efforts.

There has been arguments that it is fiscally impossible to have a policy of giving working mothers financial compensation due to the cost that comes with the same. However, the welfare state aims at guarding the social and political freedoms of everyone including in the cases which look unlikely to handle. All the same, stay at home mothers should get a salary from the government by all means.

Conclusion

Whereas there is a significant improvement in gender perception in the course of history, there is still a lot that needs to be done. It is the responsibility of all the actors to level the playing ground sooner. The state should be proactive in promoting the rights of women and providing welfare benefits when need be. Women should take the responsibility of pushing their agenda. Perhaps, making a comprehensive audit of the current health of gender dynamics is not a bad start.

References

Bhattacharya, A. (2015, June 15). Kids of working moms are better off. The CNN. Retrieved

From: http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/15/news/economy/working-moms-kids-better-off-harvard-study/

Stokes, W. (2005). Women in contemporary politics. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Weyer, B. (2007). Twenty years later: explaining the persistence of the glass ceiling for women

leaders. Women in Management Review, 22(6), 482-496.