Recently, a comic strip blew up and garnered worldwide attention for being extremely relatable. This was published on the parenting site Babble and it received acclaim for being spot-on. It depicted clearly in very few images the stark differences in the ways moms and dads are treated in public by society. The double standards are evident in everything that parents do, with the main issue being how a woman’s identity is narrowed down to just being a ‘mother’. The comics throw light on the highly non-rewarding and biased outlook that society maintains towards mothers.
#1
In the first strip, you see a very normal weekday activity being performed by a dad on the left side and a mom on the right. The dad has three kids who seem to be quite well-behaved and everything is wholesome and pleasant. A passer-by even comments on how wonderful the father is for doing something quite as normal as bringing the kids out to wrap up some shopping. On the right side, you see the mom doing the very same thing- grocery shopping with three children. But instead of any ‘appreciation’, you see that the same passer-by just comments that she has quite a handful.
#2
Here you can see that the dad has taken his baby girl to the doctor’s office for a visit. The doctor notices that the child has painted nails and seems quite positive and excited about it. She seems to express her joy as she pleasantly adores the nail paint and asks her if her daddy painted her nails. Because if he did, what a sweet and nice thing to do, and how very thoughtful of him to spend quality time with his daughter! Parallel to this, you can see how the doctor frowns at the mom for bringing the child in with painted nails commenting that polish is t0xic indicating how high expectations from moms are compared to dads and even the slightest gestures are scrutinized instead of being praised.
#3
In this comic, you notice how a man and a woman appear to be looking at their phones, in two separate yet similar situations of taking their kids to the park. The man is just chilling at the park browsing through his phone when two women admire him for being a wonderful and caring father who has taken the time out to bring his kids to the park. Meanwhile, the woman appears to be doing the same thing he is doing in the adjacent strip. However, you can see that the women in this scenario criticize her for being on her phone rather than paying attention to her children. This makes you wonder strongly about the double standards that are in place and the tremendous expectations that are placed on mothers.
#4
Getting a haircut is a social situation and often a means of relaxation and much-needed self-care outlet during adulthood, especially parenthood. When the man in the comic gets his hair done, you can see how he is asked about his haircut preferences which are expected and very normal. It does not matter that he is a father, here he is just a customer. However, the mother is made to feel irresponsible for taking care of herself and spending any time apart from her children by being asked about who is watching the children in her absence.
#5
A dad hanging out with his friends is as much of taking a break from his family life as is for a mom. However, as this comic rightly depicts, hanging out with friends and the associated conversations are distinctly different for men and women once they enter parenthood. The father is just asked regular questions like whether he caught up with the latest game of the season, just like any conversation before he entered parenthood. However, even as the mom tries to step out and take a break from her hectic schedules, she is asked only about her kids indicating that her identity has indeed been narrowed down to her just being a mother who is not expected to have any other interests.
Several parents, especially mothers commented on how relatable the comics were when they were released initially. Hundreds of thousands have shared them and many views resonate the same thing: the distinct unfairness that is embedded all over the double standards set by society for moms and dads.