Michelle Obama, the former First Lady, admitted during her 2018 book tour for Being that women can't have it all.

While some women felt relief from the pressure to succeed, many others were confused. Our parents and society have told us for decades that we would be able to have a family, a career, a home, etc.

Although it is nice to have it all, it hasn’t worked out the way we expected. If the last few years have shown us anything, it's that the bulk of the housework, childcare, and planning/organization typically falls to women. Despite women's advancements in the professional world, this is still a significant problem.

Why is this such a stark imbalance?

Are Baby Boomers preparing their sons to marry successful women?

Reddit post by r/TwoXChromosomes suggests that the Baby Boomers may have mistakenly raised their sons as "man-children", while their daughters were career-oriented.

This post was inspired by a tweet from @jfitzgeraldmd which stated, "Baby Boomers did a pretty great job teaching their millennial daughters they could be anything and a pretty terrible job preparing their boys for what that would mean as husbands or fathers."

The concept is equally applicable to Gen X and millennials. It basically states that older generations weren't adequately prepared to give their sons more responsibilities in the home, as more women entered the workforce. This meant that they had less energy and time to manage the domestic tasks.

However, this is not meant to be a general statement. There are men who have stepped up and joined their partners in the team. My husband and I share household duties, take care of our child and are both responsible for the upkeep of our home.

However, the responses show that not all women had the same experience.

Redditors Chime in

One user said, "Over the last 100 years we have completely changed life expectations for women and the meaning of being a woman." Although some of this work is already underway, it's far past due.

A single mom illustrated this concept by writing, "[I] keep searching for a man to date... but [I] am] still single seven-years later. Why would I add to my already busy schedule if a man isn't able to bring as much as he needs? I'm already managing work and children! You can come back once you are mature and ready to do half of the work.

Another user said that her father is guilty of the charges. They wrote that "my dad definitely fits this model, but my brother miraculously never followed it." My dad is amazed at how supportive my brother is as father to his two children. There were constant little comments such as, "In myday, dads were expected back to work right after," and, my personal favorite: "In myday, dads didn’t change diapers!" '"

Another commenter shared a Gloria Steinem quote, which resonated with many: "Though our daughters are more like our sons than our daughters, we've rarely been able to raise them like our daughters."

What can be done?

It's becoming more common for parents to teach their sons how to be more mindful of their emotions, to help them cook and clean, and to allow them to play with toys that were marketed to girls. This will prepare them for the future where they'll have to assume more responsibility around the house.

We still believe that the Gen X and millennial females will be more responsible partners. Weaponized incompetence has become a more common phenomenon. Women are beginning to recognize it and setting boundaries when they see it.

One frustrated Redditor noted that "late Gen X to early Gen Z males are now being educated by their female peers." This frustrates everyone. Even with all the rational discourse, some of them refuse to listen or consider the POV of a woman on the subject of women. This is because their poor behavior was modelled early in life.

-----------------------------------

By: Dana Hopkins
Title: Women Share How Their Baby Boomer Parents Set Them Up For Relationships With Man-Children
Sourced From: www.suggest.com/baby-boomers-raised-man-child-partners/2716548/
Published Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2023 20:45:00 +0000

Read More