We have been through a whole lot over the past few years. And one thing we should all be over is the double standard of parenting. But the reality is still far from that – instead, even with so much extra on our plates with the pandemic and the world seemingly being in a state of constant chaos, moms are still expected to trudge along and carry the extra work without complaint, while dads are still expected to be the same as they ever were.
One mom has created a cartoon series that highlights these double standards
Mary Catherine says she “could have drawn a million examples,” and she’s not wrong
The comparisons she highlights in her comics hit the nail on the head. In the first, dad walks through the front door holding a bag of fast food and he’s hailed as the “fun dad.” Mom does the same and she’s called “lazy mom.”
On the next slide, dad is taking his baby out for a walk in the stroller when he glances at his phone while strolling. For him to do this, he’s considered a “present dad,” but when mom is doing the exact same thing, she’s labeled “inattentive.”
Other everyday things mom and dads do in parenting are given different names
We know that moms are judged so much in parenting — stuck in a cycle where it’s impossible to please everyone and knowing they’ll be called out no matter what option they choose. We also know that dads dislike being referred to as “babysitting” when they’re the primary caregiver at any given moment, but luckily for them, they’re often described in more positive terms like “involved dad” as opposed to a mom’s “working mom” title.
When a mom takes her kid to the park to play, she’s just a basic “run-of-the-mill” mom. When dad does the same, he’s said to be “such a good dad.”
This narrative is everywhere, and it sucks — which is exactly why Mary Catherine wanted to highlight it
“I’m tired of our society applauding dads for handling the most basic of parenting duties and expecting perfection from mothers,” she said in an interview with Huffpost. “People have said lots of things to me that they would never say to my husband,” she continues.
Reading through the comments, parents shared more examples of this double standard playing out in social media and real life. This includes times when they’ve caught themselves thanking their partner for doing something like changing a diaper or “watching the kids” while they finish something up.
It’s exhausting to be a mom — even more so when we’re constantly juggling an impossible ask. And Mary Catherine’s comics going viral within 24 hours is even further proof of this.
