What America asks of working parents is impossible

What America asks of working parents is impossible

Three core myths animate much of American life, according to [Christine M.] Beckman and [Melissa] Mazmanian, professors at the University of Southern California and UC Irvine, respectively. The first myth, they explain in their recent book, Dreams of the Overworked: Living, Working and Parenting in the Digital Age, is that of the “ideal worker,” who “has no competing obligations that might get in the way of total devotion to the workplace.” The second is that of the “perfect parent,” who “always puts family first.” …   I recently spoke with Mazmanian about these ideas and how the pandemic changes them.