The real problem here is that the American workforce is so goddamn RIGID. If more companies showed flexibility with work schedules, then it would be easier for couples (or individuals) to juggle parenting and working.

I think this is exactly why so many women in my generation (Millenials) are choosing not to have kids. The government and companies don't want to provide adequate maternity leave and the healthcare system disregards the concerns of mothers during pregnancy and after when it comes to their own bodies. Women still do the majority of the housework and child rearing while also working full time jobs.

Women: damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Mothers "in the past" did not actually spend a lot of time interacting with their kids. Children spent time with other children, with nannies if their famillies could afford them, and at school. Their mothers worked on farms or in the family business, doing housework, or socializing with friends.

This is infuriating. I love Retro Report so much for reminding me just how much things have changed.

We have parental leave for dads in my country.

My father was the stay at home parent when I was a child in the 90s. I remember being the only kid in my elementary school classes who had a father who chose not to work. I'm curious about what data would say are the general differences between people who were raised primarily by their mother vs primarily by their father.

I was a kid in the 90s and couldn’t wrap my head around the arguments at all. Where I grew up, mothers couldn’t afford not to work. There was no debate. If your family was making enough to only need one income the other kids thought you were rich.

I don't know why we can't learn from European countries, who pay women after a baby is born. It isn't seen as welfare, it's seen as responsible community. When mothers left the home, the fast food industry boomed. (coincidence? I think not.) I raised children in the 80's and 90's, and balanced years between working and staying home. Was made to feel guilty either way. sigh

What about is staying at home being good for the mother I would lose my mind being at home 24 hours with my kid we all need a break 😩

I can't understant the american mindset. Women stay at home? In my country you can only support your family when both parents go to work...

My mother still feels guilty about working during my childhood and I am 40 years old now.

I was able to raise my boys and have a career and I don’t feel 1 ounce of guilt over it. I instilled good work ethics. I met their financial, emotional, and extracurricular needs and that’s what providers and partners do. If my husband were to pass away and I have no education, skill, or work experience then my children and I would be vulnerable and suffer poverty. I personally enjoyed the balance of earning money and parenting but if a woman chooses not to work then I’m not judging her either. To each is own. This day and time it typically takes 2 people working to have a comfortable living. Just because a mother is at home full time doesn’t mean she’s devoting all her time and attention to her children thanks to cell phones and other social media distractions.

my mom was a stay at home mom for a while and then for a few years she worked outside of the home. me and my sister turned out pretty screwed up but had nothing to do with my mom's schedule.

I'm just gonna work. No kids. At least for now.

What mothers in this current time can even afford to be stay at home wifes/mothers and just rely on just one income to survive financially??? This old traditional way of family life just isn't possible anymore for the large majority of families 😕

i would love to stay at home with my monkeys, i hate leaving them ever but i like to eat and so do they soooo to work i go, good thing is my husband and i work for the same company and we just switch shifts so our kids spend the day with him and the evening and night with me they get more of both of us think it works out better

My parents divorced when I was 5. My biological Father got full custody of my siblings & I (only because our Mother wasn't an American) & he quickly remarried. My step mother was a stay at home mother. But other than cook dinner she basically ignored us because we weren't 'her kids'. She ignored all of our emotional, social & educational needs as did our biological Father. Because he felt that all childcare was 'purely woman's work'. When I turned 12 my biological Mother was granted full custody of my siblings & I due to his & my step mothers neglect. & even though my biological mother worked. We had more interaction with her on every level than we had with our step mother. Our Mother worked so she pay for further education for us after high school. To try to set us up for a better life later on. She even went so far as to take an evening job that allowed her to work. While we were at home asleep with our Step Father. Just so she could be there to see us get ready for school & see us off. When we left she'd do a few hours of housework & then sleep till we got home from school. When we got home she'd give a a snack, then helped us with our homework, before preparing dinner for us. She'd spend time in the evenings with us & would see us off to bed. Before getting ready & going off to work. On the weekends she would run through extra tutoring with us. To try & help us catch up with the schooling we had missed. So we could get up to the same level as our peers. She did this for 10 years so we wouldn't be behind & we never feel neglected by her because she worked. If anything we were grateful that she decided to sacrifice so much for us. She often made do with very little sleep, & rarely took time out for herself. Because she wanted us to thrive, & whenever someone say working mothers are neglectful. I tell them about our step mother who stayed at home & ignored us unless she had to. Then I tell them about my Mother who worked hard sacrificing her personal life & at times her health. To make sure she was there for us whenever we needed her. & I ask them if they still think working Mothers don't care about their kids. Quality of time is far, far more important than quantity of time. & you can do more good in a child's life, with just 10 minutes than you can do in 10 hours.

I feel more independent because both my parents worked and that helped me become a responsible adult.

Listen this (mothers WORKING) has been going on for thousands of years! The mothers take their kids to the fields to work! It is a PRIVILEGE to stay home!! Children are just fine with their mothers working. It is the quality time and discipline that the PARENT does that makes a HUGE difference.

As a mom of two, with my husband the primary caregiver for our children since day one (because those were the roles we chose), this whole video just boggles my mind.

My mom didn’t work when raising me due to my dad was in the military and I turned out fine. I say if they need the money to take care of their life and keep a roof over their head then let them work. It can show the kids that you are able to work hard and show the gains from that. I say it helps them that part mentally,as long as you still spend time with them and do things as family when you can it should be fine. That’s how I plan to be later on in life.

Working women is good. If it weren't for this, I'd probably be out on the street for my childhood.

I think the issue has become irrelevant. Today both parents absolutely have to work just to afford the basics.

My mum worked from home It definitely made a difference for us

I got very lucky and had both parents home all the time, my dad hasnt worked since I was in early elementary school and my mom works from home. I'm also homeschooled and my dad is my teacher. Hes my best friend, and I have great relationships with both my parents. I know i'd be a completely different person if he didnt stay home.

This mommy war is a western phenomena

I still feel awful and guilty every time I have to leave my baby for work. But I have a good paying career that I love. So I go and I know I am making sure he will have a great life.

Considering that there are so many benefits from the father also caring for a kid, it's totally amazing that soon the majority of kids will be raised in single parent households. Great.

The solution is easy: moms go back to work and dads stay home with the babies. Imagine how much fun they'd have together, and every day you'd wonder if your baby would still be there!

another fantastic retro report

My mom went to work when I was 15 out of necessity. My dad got sick and his insurance didn’t cover his prescriptions. Her working was hard for me. My husband was a “Latch key kid” at age eight and it effected him negatively as well, although he didn’t realize it until we had kids. I vowed to not work outside the home when I had my own family and I didn’t. We made the choice to live a more modest life to have that family time....it was the best decision we made!

So, it seems to me, the dad should stay at home more and women should work as the primary financial provider. Wow! already made that happen. Wife of a proud #stayathome dad

My parents both worked full time and I had a great childhood and I am pretty successful.

The father of my children was working and he got up in the middle of the night to feed them, I know he had a hards day work ahead but I didn’t suffer from post pardem depression and I don’t know if that’s why but I appreciate him for being there with never once complaining.

Only a Sith deals in absolutes.

One parent is not more important than the other, both need to take an equal role as parent to their child. If you want healthy well adjusted children, you need to take the sacrifice to your career and devote that time to your children. I don't understand how this is a hard concept to understand. What I don't see spoken of very often is the lack of respect a man gets from women in general when he doesn't have a successful career. He's often seen as a lazy bum who doesn't contribute, regardless of how much he contributes at home. There is a definite double standard when it comes to the views on men staying home vs women. Also the fact that regardless of who stays at home, progressives seem to think it's always a bad thing. If a woman stays at home, she's an archaic example of the past and misogyny exemplified. If a dad stays at home, feminists think he's lazy and doesn't contribute, playing video games and being a couch potato leech. Either way, some kooky soy loving liberal is gonna hate what you're doing and think you're horrible. So just live your life however it works out best for you and your family, and ignore the experts and talking heads of the day. As long as your kids are healthy and happy, what does anything anyone else has to say matter? *It's YOUR family!*

Why can't the father's go back to home?

My kids dad doesn’t even live in the country anymore 🙄 I should send the end of this video to him

my mom didn't work until recently. Maybe it was necessary, because I have three younger brothers. But I am more close with her since she works and I moved out. That seems paradox, but at the home it was always only about household stuff. Now we conversate about science and work and more personal issues.

Did anyone at that time ever came around to saying “why are we fighting about this sexist shit? let women chose what’s best for them and their families”. Because it scares me that that point wasn’t even mentioned in this whole video.

This is nothing new. Poor women have always had to work outside the home to support their families.

At the end of the day, don't take information at face value

My mom stay at home all my childhood.

This is very interesting and should be standard fare in middle schools

The joy of Life over rules all the confusion... Simply put if it feels right it is right ❣️🌌🌌🌌🏛️

I never heard of this shit. What?

biggest thing of all still is having a two parent home.

I don't understand why fathers aren't considered equal care takers of their kids.

The father interacting is positive or any parent interaction is equally positive?

Mothers have worked since forever: hunting and gathering, and lots of chores. Imagine running a farm in 1920 with no electricity, gasoline or running water. An arguement could be made that fathers, not mothers, are responsible for raising kids. For centuries fathers worked out of the home (carpenter, blacksmith etc) and mothers went into town and did the shopping. That meant mom controlled the money, did the budgeting, learned to haggle, and got good at math. Dad stayed home and watched the kids. Fun fact: When kids turned out rotten in the Bible, God blamed the fathers, not the mothers.

I think it's the system that isnt allowing mothers to have flexible work hours and lack of maternal financial support, but ok, blame mothers for being "selfish" and wanting to be financially independent and provide for their children.If companies are ranking in billions from the labour of woman, than I think there should be more debates on why they don't want to provide maternal programs instead of debates on if mothers should stay at home.In the end, women don't have the luxury to decide whether to be a stay at home mom as a single income can't support a family and some of these mothers are single parents.

This "Mommy War" garbage is old as time. If it's not Staying home VS Working it's some other choice a mom makes that is up for debate. You don't see "Daddy Wars" because they don't give a damn lol. I got married at 21 and now at 32 I have been a stay at home mom to our 4 daughters going on 10 years. It's been a huge privilege for me to be home but also a huge sacrifice at first too. Even with most of my kiddos school aged now, we find that even with school aged kiddos having a parent home to deal with sick days, snow days, school vacations, summers off etc has added value. Every family should do what works for them and their family unit.

I want to be a mother but unless I marry a military man I cant afford one properly. Welcome to America.

except there is no such thing as a family anymore because no one gets married and stays married...and everyone is having kids out of wedlock. The decline of American society right there.

Excuse me??? It's time we QUIT the blame game!!!! Why are we pointing the finger & blaming each other & start putting it where it belongs!!!! On whoever is telling us"this is gonna make life so much easier!" don't get me wrong I don't want to go down to the creek & slap my laundry against a rock but do you REALLY need the newest iPhone? Or a shinny new car for our 16th birthday?? Some people can afford it , but if they can they don't care about you anyway!! All they're doing is trying to make you feel bad enough to work twice as hard FOR THEM while making you feel bad enough about yourselves that you blame th at 1 you at 1 time loved enough to make a family together?? Is this REALLY what we want? Put the big government big corporations & big pharma out of business!? Start supporting each other( NOT NECESSARILY financially) you know how nicely you greet someone you don't really know ( I.e. the girl behind the counter at the quick stop or the insurance man?) Go home & treat your wife & kids that way I'm willing to bet you haven't in a long time tell each other you appreciate at least how they're trying. Like the penny jar... Give a little take a little. It might just make you & your family richer & that cold massive corporation( who by the way is gonna fire you 6 months before you can retire with full benefits) feel a little less human!!!

I like the guy narrator more.

How about just be unemployed and don't have kids

There's no way a person can work a full time job and have enough time or energy for their kids when they get home.

I guess you have to judge how this turned out by looking at the world today.

I loved being pregnant and I loved giving birth to my children and I loved cooking meals with them and I miss them.

No national policies! KEEP GOVERNMENT OUT OF FAMILY!!!

Me: got plenty of time with my mom when she was a stay at home, didn't go to work until I was 12. Much more mentally stable and able to make sense of the world and take care of things. My sister: mom went to work when she was 8, much less mentally stable, can't comprehend basic situations, struggles with basic tasks, struggles with more depression and more body image issues. Yep, looks like stay at home moms work better. I also was fed better when my mother stayed at home and definitely ate healthier and felt happier at home. Even those 4 extra years of mom going off to work for my sister really fucked her up

How bout that. Fake news....hmmm

Let's go over some facts: - Children grow up better with more time spent with the parents, but much more significantly so with the mother. There are even psychological conditions that can be developed when the contact between a newborn child and the mother is impeded, up to the age when the child stops breastfeeding. Fact. - Women are largely BETTER at childrearing and most children themselves prefer to be raised by the mother rather than the father if they have to chose one. Fact. - Women who work spend much less time with their kids than mothers who don't. Stating otherwise as this piece did is NOT backed up by statistics OR common sense. Fact. - You get to make your choices in life, that however does NOT mean that your choice is/was ipso facto the _best_ choice for your family and/or your career. It is simply not possible to 'embrace the whole world', have it all, be omnipresent and without flaws. Fact.