Pink for girls, blue for boys - and later the daughter will become a mother herself and the son will become a hard-working businessman himself. In many areas, German society is much more conservative than you might think. The social worker, mother of two and author Linda Biallas finds that important in the 449th episode of the podcast "today": "I didn't expect that it would still be the case that as a mother you are the main person responsible in the eyes of society . For the care work, for the mental load."
Care work, i.e. "taking care of" means, for example, raising children, caring for the elderly, household and garden, taking children to sport or school and much more. Women spend significantly more time on this than men. In the Second Equality Report, the federal government determined in 2019 that men spend around two hours and 46 minutes a day on unpaid care work. For women it is about 90 minutes more per day, namely four hours and 13 minutes. This is called the "Gender Care Gap". Linda Biallas is also annoyed about this inequality in an interview with "Today Important" editor Mirjam Bittner: "In 2023 it will still be the case that fathers are easily released from responsibility. They are already the super great hero dad when they only been to the playground for an afternoon." At the same time, mothers should communicate with the school in 'Mutti-hefte' and are informed by the day-care center about what the ideal breakfast bread should look like.
That's why Linda Biallas wants to encourage rethinking with her book "Mother, creates. The role of the mother in capitalism and patriarchy". Both in terms of individual thought structures and the economic system. Because that is still based on the fact that women and mothers take on the majority of the care - unpaid. Linda Biallas reports from her own experience: "Mothers struggle between different fronts. In paid work you earn less than a man, the day care center is not open as late and you may not be able to work full-time." Conversely, mothers who decide to be housewives and take care of their families full-time are faced with poverty in old age when they retire.
Shaking the political or social level would be desirable, says Linda Biallas. But what couples are most likely to work on is the relationship level. In Germany, people grow up with certain role models, according to the author: "That's why it doesn't do much good to blame each other. But you should keep talking to each other, how you can create an eye level and compensate for certain tasks." For example, if one of the parents works full-time and the other person stays at home with the family, couples should find an arrangement so that both are still provided for in old age. The social worker advises that, just like parental leave, it should ideally be discussed before the child is born. Because the responsibility has not yet been shared equally among all members of society, Biallas describes in an interview: "It's no coincidence that it's always the women and the mothers who have to step back." She also advises families to design their own "village" so that other family members, institutions or friends can also look after the children.
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