B.C.
It's not the time I spend at work that's the problem.
I want a housekeeper and a cook so I can do the fun parenting things and skip the cleaning drudgery.
But it's not something anyone is going to give me.
I've just got to earn enough so I can hire help.
Equal pay for equal work would help with that.
This is something that changes with the age(s) of the kids.
When I was pregnant FMLA was great for getting 12 weeks maternity leave (most of it paid).
When my son was little - flex time helped a lot.
We can take sick leave for sick family members.
Now that my son is older and in middle school a lot of those things are not so important now.
No - fathers and mothers are NOT treated the same at work.
For men - getting married and having a family means they are 'stable family men' - the promotions and raises are piled on because of it.
For women - getting married and having kids is a career penalty - mommy tracked - we're viewed as less work reliable because 'the kids/family' come first with us and the job comes second - we're often treated as a liability - even if you hire a live in nanny to take of things at home, the promotions and raises slow down because we dare have a life outside the office.
It's true - Dad's CAN coach and play golf and taking a day off to do it is looked on as a great life/stress management skill.
If a Mom takes a day off - we're viewed as slackers who are milking the system.