I have the strong impression that contemporary middle-class women do seem prone to feelings of inadequacy. We worry that we do not... measure up to some undefined level, some mythical idealized female standard. When we see some women juggling with apparent ease, we suspect that we are grossly inadequate for our own obvious struggles.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Juggling produces both practical and psychological benefits.... A woman's involvement in one role can enhance her functioning in a...nother. Being a wife can make it easier to work outside the home. Being a mother can facilitate the activities and foster the skills of the efficient wife or of the effective worker. And employment outside the home can contribute in substantial, practical ways to how one works within the home, as a spouse and as a parent.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?... Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust,LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
I would hope that parents and grown children could be friends. When a friend confides in you that she's going to do something that... you think is most inappropriate, foolhardy or even dangerous, wouldn't you as a friend say so--in a calm, supportive way? Yet I have to be so careful what I say to my children. I have to walk on eggs to be sure I'm not hurting their feelings or interfering with their lives.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
The truth is despite the hard work and juggling required to keep the different facets of the frantic life afloat, the "superwoman"... has one marvelous compensation. Being busy and being seen to be busy lets you off the hook. Buys you a way out of all aspects of your many roles you secretly despise ... like cleaning cupboards ... or entertaining your husband's business friends. When you combine wife, mother, career and all, each role become the perfect excuse for avoiding the worst aspects of the other.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
I can remember the day when all that a professor was supposed to do was to mark "C minus" on students' examination papers, then go... home to tea. Nowadays they seem to feel that they must know just how much we (outside the university) eat, what we do with our spare time, and how we like our eggs.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »