FamPhiji, a TikToker and mother, recently opened up about the challenges of juggling a career and childcare responsibilities, expressing bewilderment at how mothers in the past managed this feat.
Her TikTok video prompted a flood of responses, with people sharing their own stories and insights.
Keep reading to find out what happened!
Balancing motherhood and a career
FamPhiji started off her video by expressing her feelings on motherhood, saying: “How were you able to wake up, get yourself dressed, get me ready, take me to daycare or school, go to work, work a full shift, get off, pick me up, take me home, make sure I was fed, make sure I was bathed, put me to bed, wake up and do it all over again. For years and years and years.”
Despite her admiration for her mother’s commitment to work, FamPhiji confessed that she was feeling overwhelmed and had even questioned her ability to maintain such a demanding routine. “My mom was so serious about going to work that if I was sick, I had to go to school for at least half a day. Because I’m not messing up my attendance and she has got to go to work. I was that girl that had perfect attendance every year,” she said.
However, FamPhiji expressed her current exhaustion, adding: “But I’m tired. I don’t know if I can do this. How am I supposed to have the energy to do all of this? Where do I find the patience? How do you find time to clean, cook, keep the house together? Time for yourself? Where is the balance?”
Discrimination against working moms
It’s no secret that working moms have historically faced discrimination in the workplace. Despite increased acceptance of women in the workforce over the past few decades, some companies still seem to discriminate against mothers, seeing motherhood as a distraction and a potential financial risk. Certain roles even have pregnancy bans.
Furthermore, working moms often encounter hiring discrimination, where the mere fact of being a mother can sway hiring decisions against them.
FamPhiji’s video also alluded to the lack of support for many mothers in their parenting journey. Raising a child is often seen as a solitary task, even in two-parent households, where the bulk of childcare responsibilities often falls on the mother.
Public response
Many people took to the comments section to voice their opinions on FamPhiji’s video, sparking debate. Many people believed women in previous years were forced to grin and bear the situation, with one person writing: “There was no balance. We just kept moving cause we knew what had to be done.”
Another person agreed, adding: “They were exhausted.”
“I don’t think they had time for themselves. I think they just kept moving and never even stopped to think about how exhausted or miserable they were,” a further comment read.
Some commenters highlighted the absence of distractions that we have in the present-day. “I think there were less distractions like video streaming, social media, phone games etc so they were more motivated because nothing better to do,” someone said.
Others took a more humorous stance, saying that women of generations past had a “different batch of 24 hours.”
What do you think of this situation? Let us know in the comments!
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