03-21-2014, 01:27 PM
(03-20-2014, 05:27 PM)aussiefriend Wrote: Single mothers are despised in our society, and looked down upon.
That's interesting, aussie. I've not been to Australia and know more about the cultural similarities than differences with the US.
Single parents are not generally looked down upon in the US, from my observations with my sisters, in various working environments, social activities, etc... From what I see, these days people tend to respect and acknowledge that it's hard work for single mothers and fathers to parent, and to also manage their households and jobs (and try to fit in a social life somewhere). There's really not a stigma attached to single parenthood anymore. Maybe some of the single parents here have a different first-hand perspective though?
Regarding the double standard in general -- yeah, it still exists --but less so as time goes by, IMO. Equal pay for equal work is something that I'm glad to see President Obama addressing again. On a social level, women often look down on other women more than do men towards women, in my experience. When it comes to imposing standards of what's "right" for women, it's women who I hear commenting the most about other women's clothing, "sluttiness", etc... But, it's possible that the men I know just care less about that stuff than most.