These comics accurately describe how life is different and unfair to moms and dads
Things are changing, but there's still a long way for us to go before we claim to be in a world where men and women are treated equally.
Mary Catherine Starr—an artist, yoga teacher, and mother of two based in Cape Cod, Massachusetts—handles an absolutely eye-opening Instagram account known as @momlife_comics. Her recent post titled “An Illustrated Guide To The Double Standards Of Parenting,” is all about how the same things are viewed differently when done by a mom vs a dad.
“I’m tired of our society applauding dads for handling the most basic of parenting duties and expecting perfection from mothers,” the artist told HuffPost.
In fact, her illustrations are based on her own experiences, she revealed.
“People have said lots of things to me that they would never say to my husband,” she said. “For instance, once, when my daughter was young and I was pushing her in the stroller and looking down at my phone, a neighbor called out to me that I ‘should pay attention to my daughter instead of my phone.’ I know he never would have said that to my husband.”
When it comes to taking care of their own kids, people only expect the woman to do it, so much so that when a dad takes care of his kids, it becomes "babysitting" and not parenting. “People will ask moms, ‘Who is watching your kids?’ when they’re traveling or out at night, but don’t ask dads that,” Starr said.
“Moms are expected to stay home from work when their kids are sick, and dads aren’t. And, in fact, often dads aren’t given the same flexibility that moms are given when their kids are sick.”
What's sad and unfortunate at the same time is that several women left comments under Starr's post, claiming that this is something they can completely resonate with, because they've gone through similar situations, too.
One user wrote: "This hit a nerve with so many women! I was a single mom living in an apartment. Next door - a single dad. Neighbors felt so bad for him that they helped him with his laundry, brought over food, and babysat. For nothing. I just shakily carried on somehow. And I had so much less money and opportunities."
"Ah! The disparity between the way the world views men compared to women is unreal! Women are universally measured in harsher ways whilst all men have to do is exist!" added another.
Starr stressed that the purpose of these comics isn’t to bash dads. Instead, this post is to raise awareness about just how differently moms and dads are viewed, especially when they’re doing the exact same thing. “My hope is that the more we talk about — and point out — these double standards, the more we can start to change the narrative,” she said.