It was a typical weekday morning. I woke up at 5:20, started a load of laundry, showered, dressed, unloaded the dishwasher, got the kids breakfast and lunch together, fed the pets, etc. After sending my husband off to work, I got the kids up and ready for the day. Things were going smoothly. I got my kids to school on time, and got into work early enough to go through email and have a meeting with one of the resiliency leaders to discuss revamping our department peer support program. Then, the patients started coming in and my shift as an urgent care provider began.
The clinic shift was going well, steady but not too busy, when the primary care director paid us a visit. She shared her frustration with managing part-time providers, highlighting the difficulty of covering inboxes and providing adequate patient access. The director lamented that she wished full-time work for all providers could be mandatory. My colleague immediately turned to the director and expressed some frustrations of mothers working outside the home, including finding reliable caretakers, helping with homework, managing extracurricular activities, etc. Regarding mothers with young children: “Working a full 1.0 full-time equivalent is just not possible!” Adequate support is not easy, or impossible, to find in our society. Unfortunately, a working partner in the home does not necessarily provide enough support. The predominant cultural norm of women being primary caretakers for child rearing and home management does not help.
The limits of management responsibility
An executive leader in our department, who happened to be working as a provider in clinic that morning, then responded with: “It is not management’s responsibility” that our culture upholds disparate roles for women in the home. I was frustrated by my department executive’s response, but did not interject my thoughts immediately. I completed my shift relatively quiet about the discussion, but that conversation kept me up at night. While I agree, it is not management’s responsibility to change societal norms, with the privilege of making decisions for those with whom you work comes the responsibility to support them.
There is nothing wrong with women using the professional skills they have earned. There is nothing wrong with women working in the home and outside the home. There is nothing wrong with not wanting to pay someone else to do laundry, clean the house, pick up the kids, help with homework, etc.
A shared responsibility for clinical workflows
Women make up 47 percent of the workforce. Their medical contributions are invaluable. Women should be welcomed and supported at whatever portion of a full-time equivalent they can commit. That being said, the logistical onus to make this happen should not fall all on the shoulders of our leaders. The effort to make part-time clinical work function should be a shared responsibility between individuals and leaders.
At the start of a shift, on a school day, I frequently hear my fellow parent colleagues say: “I already feel like I have worked a full day!” Recently one of my male colleagues was venting about changes in his life at home. His wife has gone back to school to obtain a nursing degree, allowing him more responsibilities to manage the home and nurture the kids. “It is like learning a new job!” he exclaimed. I was delighted for his enlightenment and grateful that he is recognizing the stress that women working outside the home have conquered for years.
Redefining the working mother
I have realized that for working mothers the accurate response to the question, “Do you work at home or outside the home?” is both. It might not be feasible to perfect both full-time positions, but we all deserve to pursue that which is fulfilling. I implore those with power and influence to invest in relieving barriers and burdens for whom they employ. Fortifying success for all, including mothers working outside the home, can improve occupational environments and experiences.
Jessica L. Jones is a family physician.
