quite a few of us are single mothers, and we all handle these very situations every day of our lives. But the men can’t see it, because they’ve never had to do it on their own, and we don’t complain about it. So when it comes to talking about Mike’s situation, we just shake our heads in sympathy and say nothing about the fact that Mike is simply going to be doing what half the women in the office do already .
The double standard still exists because modern corporate culture was built in the years following World War II, and created on a model in which male executives were expected to have a wife at home to take care of every aspect of their personal lives. What makes it difficult for women—and for all parents—is that no matter how much the workplace changes, there is no getting around the simple fact that young children cannot stay home alone all day and raise themselves. Somebody’s got to do it.
“What I Need Is a Wife”
Y OU’LL often hear working women say, “What I need is a wife.” It’s shorthand for “I need someone to take care of allthe endless errands and housekeeping, so I have more time to focus on what’s important.” We’re going to dissect this big trend of working women by analyzing an average day in the life of just one. We’ll call her Jamie, and even though Jamie earns a good salary in a white-collar job in Chicago, her family’s life is stretched to the breaking point by child care costs and the juggling act that comes from all four members of the family going in different directions every morning. She is like many of your customers.
Do you know her?
A typical day in the life of an everywoman
Name:
Jamie
Age:
40
Job:
Manager at commercial real estate firm
Family:
Husband, two kids
Pets:
One goldfish
Location:
Chicago
MORNING
5:15: Wakes up, showers, gets dressed.
6:00: Wakes up kids.
6:30: Feeds and dresses kids and prepares their food and snacks for the day.
7:00: Leaves house, straps kids in car seats.
7:15: Drops off one child at preschool.
7:30: Drops off other child at day care center.
7:45: Parks car in corporate parking garage.
8:00: Stops at Dunkin’ Donuts for large coffee.
8:15: Arrives at desk and eats yogurt while checking e-mail.
8:30: Officially starts the day.
AFTERNOON
12:00: Eats lunch at desk and does as many family errands as possible by phone and e-mail (pays bills online, books appointments online, calls the pediatrician).
1:00: Back to work.
4:00: Checks in with babysitter to see if she has safely picked up Jamie’s older child from preschool.
5:45: Leaves work and picks up her younger child at day care.
EVENING
6:00: Drives home thinking about dinner. She’s too tired to make something but her stomach is growling. Maybe she’ll have something delivered? She calls her husband to see if he has any ideas. He doesn’t. “Let’s just scrounge,” she says into the phone.
6:30: Dismisses the babysitter and feeds kids the minute she gets home; she doesn’t even change out of her work clothes. Her husband isn’t home yet because he has a longer commute.
7:00: Husband gets home and they decide whose turn it is to bathe the kids, then put them in pajamas.
7:30: Jamie and her husband look through the kitchen cabinets for something to eat. They each choose something different, and both meals involve the microwave as the onlycooking instrument. They eat while they play with their kids.
8:00: Husband starts the process of putting the younger child to bed.
8:30: Jamie starts the process of putting the older child to bed.
9:00: Both kids are asleep.
9:15: Jamie and her husband turn on the TV to find something they both like. Each of them uses their laptop while watching TV. Jamie looks at her e-mail to see if anything new has happened since she left the office. She answers some messages and starts thinking about the day ahead. Has some fun reading news, personal e-mails, and celebrity gossip online. Starts to relax.
9:45: After thirty minutes, Jamie feels
The double standard still exists because modern corporate culture was built in the years following World War II, and created on a model in which male executives were expected to have a wife at home to take care of every aspect of their personal lives. What makes it difficult for women—and for all parents—is that no matter how much the workplace changes, there is no getting around the simple fact that young children cannot stay home alone all day and raise themselves. Somebody’s got to do it.
“What I Need Is a Wife”
Y OU’LL often hear working women say, “What I need is a wife.” It’s shorthand for “I need someone to take care of allthe endless errands and housekeeping, so I have more time to focus on what’s important.” We’re going to dissect this big trend of working women by analyzing an average day in the life of just one. We’ll call her Jamie, and even though Jamie earns a good salary in a white-collar job in Chicago, her family’s life is stretched to the breaking point by child care costs and the juggling act that comes from all four members of the family going in different directions every morning. She is like many of your customers.
Do you know her?
A typical day in the life of an everywoman
Name:
Jamie
Age:
40
Job:
Manager at commercial real estate firm
Family:
Husband, two kids
Pets:
One goldfish
Location:
Chicago
MORNING
5:15: Wakes up, showers, gets dressed.
6:00: Wakes up kids.
6:30: Feeds and dresses kids and prepares their food and snacks for the day.
7:00: Leaves house, straps kids in car seats.
7:15: Drops off one child at preschool.
7:30: Drops off other child at day care center.
7:45: Parks car in corporate parking garage.
8:00: Stops at Dunkin’ Donuts for large coffee.
8:15: Arrives at desk and eats yogurt while checking e-mail.
8:30: Officially starts the day.
AFTERNOON
12:00: Eats lunch at desk and does as many family errands as possible by phone and e-mail (pays bills online, books appointments online, calls the pediatrician).
1:00: Back to work.
4:00: Checks in with babysitter to see if she has safely picked up Jamie’s older child from preschool.
5:45: Leaves work and picks up her younger child at day care.
EVENING
6:00: Drives home thinking about dinner. She’s too tired to make something but her stomach is growling. Maybe she’ll have something delivered? She calls her husband to see if he has any ideas. He doesn’t. “Let’s just scrounge,” she says into the phone.
6:30: Dismisses the babysitter and feeds kids the minute she gets home; she doesn’t even change out of her work clothes. Her husband isn’t home yet because he has a longer commute.
7:00: Husband gets home and they decide whose turn it is to bathe the kids, then put them in pajamas.
7:30: Jamie and her husband look through the kitchen cabinets for something to eat. They each choose something different, and both meals involve the microwave as the onlycooking instrument. They eat while they play with their kids.
8:00: Husband starts the process of putting the younger child to bed.
8:30: Jamie starts the process of putting the older child to bed.
9:00: Both kids are asleep.
9:15: Jamie and her husband turn on the TV to find something they both like. Each of them uses their laptop while watching TV. Jamie looks at her e-mail to see if anything new has happened since she left the office. She answers some messages and starts thinking about the day ahead. Has some fun reading news, personal e-mails, and celebrity gossip online. Starts to relax.
9:45: After thirty minutes, Jamie feels
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