Penguin unearthed

Turning the tables

As I've mentioned before, I'm the breadwinner in our family. My husband stays at home and looks after the kids. So while I've got an impressive corporate job, I sometimes wonder whether I am advancing the cause of women and families generally in the workplace.

Have I just bought into the dominant paradigm that a serious corporate job needs a "wife" to go with it? Would I be setting a better example if we both had a serious corporate job (which was the position we were in for our older son's first year of life)?

On balance, I think that I am better doing it this way than the reverse. I am more likely than the average man to leave work at a reasonable hour to try and have dinner with the family. I am also more likely to say no to extra work for that reason, or at least question whether it is really adding value. I also like to think that I am reasonably sympathetic to others who have work life issues that mean that they'd rather not spend all hours in the office.

But I do sometimes wonder if I'm just behaving like a man in woman's clothing.

posted by Jennifer @ 9:28 pm