Park So Yeon/ page 104/ summer session 56

Still?

Recently, an episode of "The Simpsons" received attention for pointing out the prevalent frameworks that oppresses women. Malibu Stacy, the Barbie doll in "The Simpsons", says sexist phrases such as "Don't ask me, I'm just a girl" or "Thinking too much gives you wrinkles". This episode was aired in 1994 and it was refocused because the gender stereotypes that existed in the past still exists today. People still think women are supposed to stay home and take care of their children. If women work, people say they are selfish and irresponsible. Thus, society still views working moms negatively and this must change.

In order to come up with solutions, the first step we must take is to recognize that there is a problem. Although there are people who argue that we have achieved gender equality, we still live in a society where women and men have different social statuses. People think women need men's help in everything because they are incapable so women are paid less. When I asked the interviewees whether gender discrimination exists, all of them answered yes, acknowledging gender inequality still exists in our society.

Then, it is crucial to find what problems working moms face. When I asked my interviewees, two answered the imbalanced division of household labor was a problem. The other answered that the social perception saying childcare is entirely the mother's responsibility is a problem. All the problems the interviewees identified are the ones working moms face. Working moms are forced to bear the burden of taking care of the household and earning money at the same time because for decades the traditional role of women was staying at home with their children. Even though women can work now, our perception of the traditional role has not changed. Thus, that is why women are forced to raise her children, do all the household labors, and work which sucks the life out of them.

The solutions the interviewees came up with are related to fixing the fundamental problems. One answered that fixing the imbalance of household labor is crucial because it is the easiest way to change people's perception. Changing their thoughts about household labor will make them think women should not be the ones that bear all the burden of taking care of the household. Another interviewee came up with campaigns that would point out the unfair reality of working moms. The next interviewee came up with making paternity leave mandatory so that fathers should take care of their children along with the mothers. All the interviewees agreed that trying to change the system entirely would only provoke hostility from the public so they focused on coming up with solutions that will gradually change the problem.

In conclusion, we must first acknowledge and identify the problems working mom face. Then, we should come up with solutions that would gradually change the gender stereotypes prevalent among people's minds.