to not feel sorry for Gweneth

[badhairdecade]

Poor Gweneth. She is reported to having implied that her work and life balance, as a multi-million-earning film star, is far more difficult than that of normal parents working a 9-to-5 job.

"It's much harder for me. I feel like I set it up in a way that makes it difficult because…for me, like if I miss a school run, they are like, 'Where were you?'," Paltrow said.

"I think it's different when you have an office job, because it's routine and, you know, you can do all the stuff in the morning and then you come home in the evening.

"When you're shooting a movie, they're like, 'We need you to go to Wisconsin for two weeks,' and then you work 14 hours a day and that part of it is very difficult. I think to have a regular job and be a mom is not as, of course there are challenges, but it's not like being on set."

I'm playing the worlds smallest violin for her

We could start an orchestra of tiny violins catgirl.

What, could she not afford to be a SAHM on Chris' salary?!

Walk a mile in someone else's shoes and all that, we don't walk in hers and she does not walk in ours.

oh i've alos spelt her name wrong - gwyneth

Exactly MrsGosling well said. Or she could've retired on her own past earnings if life was all so very difficult.

Woe is her .

She's so objectionable

I met Chris Martin once years ago and he was really nice and chatted. It was in a restaurant. She swept past us looking like it would dirty her to talk to us.

She can afford about 8 million nannies but I don't think that is quite her point.

Set aside the money for a minute. (if you can)

When she is on set, she is away from home and / or working very long and unpredictable hours - over which she probably has very little control. This makes it more difficult to have a nice, normal, routine family life where you get to see your kids more or less every day.

Yes she is lucky that she can afford help, she can afford not to do a movie every time it comes up, but I think her point is true - it's harder to be there for your kids when you are working unpredictable shifts at anti-social hours, which is essentially what she is doing.

I don't feel sorry for her though. I don't think she needs our pity

Jesus Effing Christ.

Does the woman have no shame? What am I saying? Of course she doesn't!

Ethel but she is "walking in ours" if she did make that splendidly unempathetic comment.

YABU. If you actually read it properly what she is saying is that it is easier to meet your children's expectations if you do the same hours every day than if you have a very on/off kind of job and when it's 'on' it's full on to the exclusion of everything else.
She's right about that. I have a regular job. Dh has a job where he works at home or away totally at random. We could not BOTH have that sort of job and still be there for our kids.
She's not the first to point this out either in regards to a film career. The reason there are so many pictures of Angelina and/or Brad and kids all over the world is because they take them all with them to film and they tend to only have one of them filming at a time. Jennifer Garner is on record saying she doesn't work as much atm because Ben is busy with projects and somebody needs to do the school run.

yanbu, I think she misses the point - she can pick and choose, most of us can't so she has some- or perhaps more control over her work/life balance; she also has the opportunity of taking a break ... a really good holiday where everything is done for her .... I can only dream!! Back to cleaning (on my day off from work, lol) x

I'm with Northern. I think it probably is bloody hard. If it's so easy for the rich and famous, why are so many of them so fucked up?

Christ almighty. Yes fine working 14 hour days is difficult no matter what you're doing. But as others have said the point is that SHE HAS A CHOICE. she doesn't have to work at all if she doesn't want to.

What a load of balls.

I think HeartsTrump post summed it up well

Thing is though, she has worked hard to build up her film career. And in her industry, taking a few years out may well mean never working again. It's not as easy as just saying 'Well, you don't need to work so stop' - I know women who on paper at least 'don't need to work', but like Paltrow they have busted their arses to get where they are - why should they give up all the things other than money that they get from their working lives? Don't get me wrong, if I didn't need to work then I would never do so again. But I can understand that people have different priorities and especially with a creative 'job' like being a musician/writer/actor etc, there is a lot more to it - it's a question of identity, of self-expression, of exploring the boundaries of something that you truly love and that is a part of you.

And what she is saying about work/life balance is true - it really is more difficult to have a well-functioning family life if you work unpredictable hours. It's difficult to organise childcare, to get the kids to out-of-school activities and yes it can be difficult to even do the school run. If that is the case for someone on a zero-hours contract, then why isn't it the case for her?

It is the case for her Rommell but it's pretty galling to hear her moaning about it and saying it's easier for people who work in offices when people who work on offices often hate it but have to work to pay for stuff.

there are other working actresses with a family life who do not spend their life whinging about it. some of them might even be on mumsnet, you never know.

Catgirl1976 I love that phrase! Playing the world smallest violin!

I too find it very difficult when filming long hours.

It's very, very hard for me to swap talking about the weather at the school gates with doing yet another love scene with Iron Man.

anyone of her age who still thinks that 'like' should be used in that fashion is quite high on the irritation scale anyway.

She had a choice, just like anyone else. So did he, as a musician. Couldn't he do the school run? Unless he was on tour, I suppose. But there couldn't have been that many clashes.

Perhaps she could be the new best friend of the duchess. They'd probably get on very well.

I agree with Hearts, Northern and Rommell - until DH retired, he had a job with very unpredictable hours. We wouldn't know what hours, or even days, he was working from week to week. It does make life difficult - you can't make any plans more than a day or so in advance, for example.

And is Gwyneth actually moaning or just commenting and explaining that her working life has its downside as well as the perks?

Well, lots of people whose lives look easier than mine does to me have a good old moan now and then. And I have a moan every now and again as well, when I'm sure there are people who look at me and think I've got it easy. I still stand by my right to whinge! She's bound to be in a bit of a state at the moment - her marriage is breaking down, fgs, and there are young children involved. All of her millions won't make that better. I'd give her the benefit of the doubt.