“I would rather retake the bar exam for two weeks straight than have to repeat the balancing act I miraculously achieved for months on end last year.”

Strong words from a fellow lawyer mom describing what a disaster the last two years have been for working moms in a recent article for Vox.

Affordable, universal, high-quality childcare? Tackling work culture and policies that are often stacked against working moms? Prirorities for sure.

But as a working mom for 16+ years, I’m going to add one more.

One common refrain I’ve heard from a lot of working moms during the pandemic is “I make less money than my husband so I have to take care of the kids.”

Listen up ladies.

Making less money that your husband does not mean you should be responsible for more than your fair share of household and childcare responsibilities. And when the kids are sick or childcare falls through, as it did for everyone during the pandemic, your job is just as important as your partner’s. The division of responsibilities should reflect it.

Regardless of how much you make, a deadline is a deadline.

Full disclosure–for all but 2 years of our marriage, my husband has outperformed me financially. Sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot. But the disparity in incomes has never factored into childcare or career decisions. I’ve never once wondered if it was “worth it” for me to work because in the end childcare is paid from both salaries not just mine.

And I doubt we’d get along as well as we do had my husband tried to shirk his childcare and household duties during the pandemic.

What do you think? What needs to happen to make working motherhood easier?

Read the Disclaimer.

All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2021-2022 Siobhan Fitzpatrick.