My deed is a gentle provocation to working parents everywhere, including myself.
I am the father of a three year old daughter, with another child on the way in July. I appreciate that not everyone will want or even be able to become parents, but I did, and so far it has been one of the scariest, richest, most challenging and fun things that I have done in my life. I love spending time with my daughter. At times wish I could, and think I should, do it more.
In order to keep it in mind, I have made a small poster which, with the cooperation its fantastic staff, I have put on the noticeboard of my daughters preschool. In my experience, when we talk about gender and equality, particularly in relation to our children, we don’t always talk as much as we could about any of us working a little bit less. I think this is often for economic reasons as much as it is to do with social expectations. I would be the first to admit that it this is not easy stuff, but I think it would be good to think about how we can think about and do it more (or less).
I don’t have any answers, but I hope the poster might make a small contribution to this ongoing discussion.
Andy Smith
Pdf poster: WORK LESS
