Worker Frustrated That Parents Get To ‘Do Less Work’ Than Those Without Kids
They argued that working parents aren't doing much at their jobs and instead dedicating their time to taking care of their kids.
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock A Redditor made quite a bold statement by claiming that people with kids end up doing less work than those who don't have children at all. He argued that while there are plenty of instances where parents need more flexible working schedules, from his experience, they often use their kids as an excuse to simply do less.
Posting to the subreddit "r/work," he said that childfree people are often left to pick up the slack when parents have supposed kid responsibilities. His opinion caused quite a stir, with many people arguing that it was a gross generalization and that most parents were not being deceptive.
A worker is frustrated that parents get to 'do less work' than those without kids.
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"I am noticing more and more that people tend to use having children as an excuse to regularly not be able to do things or be available at times that fall within their specified working day," he began in his Reddit post.
He explained that he constantly hears from fellow employees who are parents that they can't do certain things, like clock in at 9 a.m., because they have to drop their kids off at school or help out with some other childcare commitment. He argued that it doesn't just stop at school pickups, but employees who have kids usually have to take time off work for appointments and even step away from their desks to answer any phone calls related to their child.
"The list of kid related things that people just do instead of their actual job," he continued. "I completely understand sometimes people will need to take time out due to children, and I actually support flexible working. But I feel that more and more people just use it as an excuse and actually spend more time doing things for their kids than actually working."
Their assumption that parents simply use up all of their time working to cover for their children rather than focusing on their jobs isn't always a fair argument to make because many parents are actually struggling to find a balance between their professional lives and taking care of their children.
Most working parents admit to feeling burned out trying to balance their responsibilities.
According to a study from Maven Clinic, an estimated 92% of working parents feel burned out from balancing work and parenting responsibilities. Additionally, 81% of working parents reported that they want their employer to do more to tackle parental burnout by helping them manage the demands of work and raising children.
Not only are working parents dealing with the weight of their responsibilities, but also other factors, including the cost of living. With 42% of parents citing the rising cost of raising a family as a major challenge, inflation and increasing childcare costs only add to the burden.
So, frankly, working parents have to deal with a lot. There's simply no comparison between childfree people and those with kids. Everyone's lives have its own struggles and obstacles, which is why it's best to have a bit of understanding and empathy for the things people are going through outside of the workplace, rather than casting judgment and making assumptions that working parents aren't doing their jobs.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
