Consider for a moment this excerpt from the October 2009 PEW Report titled “The Harried Life of the Working Mother”:

Women now make up almost half of the U.S. labor force, up from 38% in 1970. This nearly forty-year trend has been fueled by a broad public consensus about the changing role of women in society. A solid majority of Americans (75%) reject the idea that women should return to their traditional roles in society, and most believe that both husband and wife should contribute to the family income.

But in spite of these long-term changes in behaviors and attitudes, many women remain conflicted about the competing roles they play at work and at home. Working mothers in particular are ambivalent about whether full-time work is the best thing for them or their children; they feel the tug of family much more acutely than do working fathers. As a result, most working mothers find themselves in a situation that they say is less than ideal.

While none of this is particularly surprising, there is one thing I find rather interesting.  Working mothers feel conflicted about their competing roles and feel that less work and more time at home would improve their lives.  But working fathers do not seem to view the idea of working quite the same as their children’s mothers.  Working, for a man, is an accepted part of life – it’s just what they do.  Women with children, on the other hand, are conflicted about the roles they take on and the expectations that come with these roles.  

Why is this?  There is no Working Father magazine, but there is Working Mother magazine.  And the term “working father” is not even a phrase that’s used very often.  Men with jobs might well be fathers – in fact, most of the men I work with are fathers – and most are considered to be good dads.  They are men and they have jobs, and they might have kids.  Whether they have kids or not is not even a big deal in realm of work.  I don’t hear them talking much about trying to balance their responsibilities at home with their career, or whether they feel that having children is hurting their career.  And they most certainly are not requesting part-time work schedules in an effort to keep their home lives running smoothly. 

But a woman who has a job and has kids – she is a Working Mother.  I am not taking offense to the term – after all, it does help define who I am at this moment.  It’s just interesting that women are labeled in this manner, and men generally are not.  What do you think?