I'm a working parent. Specifically a working mother. My babysitter bailed on me and I was unable to work until 8pm at night. My boss- a woman and mother herself was mad even though I gave her notice.
When I was hired I was told my schedule was 8:30 to 5. Less than 3 weeks later it is 7:45am to 5pm. I only get a 30 minute lunch break. So I'm already working overtime. I still get stink eye when I roll out at 5pm. My chikd's daycare closes at 5:30. Today she kept me past 5pm doing a pediatric vaccination (something I was told I would never have to do- I love kids but hate seeing kids in clinic). There were plenty of nurses that could have done it. I was 10 minutes late picking up my kid from daycare and got chewed out and hit with a $20 fine. $2 per minute.
For decades women tried to hide their motherhood in the work place for fear of being put on “the Mommy track.” Or working mothers internalized the shame when their work hours were bound by day care hours or they had to stay home with a sick kid.
To me, it doesn't matter if I need to burn out at 5pm becaise I need to be with my kid or I'm just done for the day. If I'm putting in over 40 hours a week and that still isn't good enough that is not MY problem.
I knew going into health care it is kinda dysfunctional. All of the nurses on my team are Moms. All are married. Some of the kids are teenagers and can legally be left by themselves. The others have spouses they can fall back on.
I haven't even discussed how I am to work 1 Saturday a month, and the only reason I found out is by accident. I have 10 days to find a Saturday babysitter.
I don't know at what point employers' entitlement to their employees time got so wild. When I first separated from my husband he filed for divorce. I couldn't get time off from work to meet with my attorney. I had to discuss complex legal issues in 15 minute increments and under the stink eye of my boss.
My current boss has complained repeatedly “No one wants to work anymore.”
In the area I live day care is at a premium. To switch to a daycare that stays open until 6 is a minimum tuition hike of $100 a week. Just so the doctors can cram an extra pateint at the end of the day overbill their insurance companies for services the nurses actually do instead of the doctors.
“But nobody wants to work.”