“We need to stop congratulating fathers whenever they pitch in. This perpetuates the belief that child rearing and housework are ‘women’s work’ and men are only helping out.” Thank you Deirdre for taking part in this interview series for Office Mum - could you tell me how many children you have and their ages? I have a boy, ...
“My husband is the main carer for the children and always has been – as he left a job in the City of London to change career when I was pregnant with my first child” This week’s interview is with Tamara Whitney, a mother of two who works full-time, and has recently moved from the UK ...
“I tip-toe out of the house every morning when our daughter is asleep and feel sad that I'm not there when she wakes up” The first interview of the new year is with Bridget Farrell, who is married to Ray, and lives in Tullamore. They both work outside the home and have a two and a ...
“I think a woman can do anything in the work place but they need strong support at home. Too often the role of men isn’t considered enough” In this week’s interview, I speak to Eithne O’Brien who works as a Journalist with RTE producing and presenting reports for the flag-ship Current Affairs programme Prime Time. Married ...
“I hate the housework with a passion but I would say the worst thing is the tiredness. I am sick of talking about how tired I am… I can't say there is any point in the week where I wouldn't take a nap if it was offered to me” This week I meet Yvonne Hogan, a ...
“I’m a big believer in reinvention and now that my baby-making years are over and the child-rearing stage picks up a pace maybe I’ll completely turn things on their head. Or just win the Lotto and sit around knitting, eating cheese and slugging champagne for evermore” This week’s interview is with the lovely Helen O'Keeffe, a ...
“Leave the guilt at the door. It's not helping anyone and just stresses you out : no one else” This week’s interview is with Martha Kearns, a journalist and mother of two. Originally from Sligo, she has lived in Dublin for 20 years. Martha is the News Editor of the Sunday Business Post. She is married to ...
Working mother guilt is a myth, according to widely publicised survey findings from UK parenting website Mumsnet. 48% of the 900 mothers polled said that they were happier having a job than being at home, sparking a range of newspaper articles on the topic, including this one by Bryony Gordon who said: "The idea that working women feel ...
Working mother guilt – does it ever ease? If we’re not feeling guilty about being apart from our children, we’re feeling guilty about an un-ironed uniform, unsigned homework or giving toast for dinner. And sometimes we feel guilty about work too. While I would argue vehemently that parents in the workplace are working just as hard ...