Hi! I am a man. And a parent. Which exists. But not in the Fargo Forum. The new SheSays section has received a lot of backlash from readers, but I have yet to notice a reaction from the group with which I most strongly identify, the Dads.
It is ridiculous and insulting to pretend crossword puzzles and advice columns belong solely in the purview of females, yet the Forum has made a much more onerous error in deciding that parenting belongs solely to women.
How much damage has to occur in the lives of children before we awaken to the facts of our increasingly gender neutral society? Children need all the parental involvement they can get. Women working is not a brand new phenomenon, nor are absentee fathers. So how does ignoring and disparaging half of our parental population serve the interests of families?
The modern modes of parenting involve compromise and sharing the roles of breadwinner, homemaker, disciplinarian, and playmate. If I sound outraged, it is because my identity is closely tied to the idea of men as parents.
Sexism is real, and cuts both ways. Please consider what the reaction would be if the Forum were to re-title the jobs listings as “Working Men”.
Agreed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m a woman, and I agree with you. My husband and I talk about equality for parents quite often. He works in a male-centered industry, and I in a female-centered industry. Of course, my employer is much more flexible with schedules, sick kids, doctor’s visits. His is quite rigid about these things. (Thanks to the society in which we live) When there is a divorce at his work, he sees his the custody of his coworkers’ children ‘awarded’ to the mother, simply because she’s the mother. There are so many things dads are better at than moms, and vice versa. There are situations that dads and moms handle very differently, but does that make either parent wrong? No, it doesn’t. I really feel that’s something children should see. They need to see and appreciate the differences in their parents and know that different = okay as long as they’re safe and provided for.
My point is this: I am all for women’s rights. As a woman, I believe I should have every single right a man has. I should be able to make as much money for the same work, vote, own land, work outside the home and pee standing up, hallelujah (okay, maybe that last one is a stretch, LOL)! However, as a parent, I STRONGLY believe that men should have all the same rights women have, because as you said, “Half of all parents are men”.
thank you all for the positive comments!