Sarah Hanson-Young, her toddler and the Australian federal Parliament
I am flabbergasted. 
On Thursday, Green’s Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s toddler, Kora, was ejected from the Australian federal Parliament.
Sarah was humiliated and Kora was distressed.
For me it was a signal of how far we haven’t come. And how far we still need to go.
Are workplaces so inflexible? YES, they obviously are.
But that’s only part of the story. What came next, when public opinion kicked in, was appalling.
Sarah was accused of staging a political stunt, of not doing her job properly and of being a bad mother.
Are people so unsupportive of working parents, particularly working mothers? YES, they obviously are!
And we wonder why working parents struggle.
Not only do working parents beat themselves up about whether they are doing the right thing by their children, themselves and their workplace, they are then lambasted by segments of society that tell them:
“It’s your choice to have kids so don’t complain.”
“But you better raise decent kids or we’ll blame you.”
…and now…
“Don’t let parenting interfere with your work or else.”
Working parents are not a bunch of whingers asking for sympathy and handouts.
They are simply trying to work and raise kids in workplaces and, clearly, a society that won’t accept change.
Parenting is a social good. And so is working.
It’s no longer about either/or. It’s about both.
The sooner we accept this and get on with making our workplaces, communities and society more work-family friendly, the better.
