some jobs can never be family friendly?

[kitchendevil]

hmmm don't know what anyone thinks of this..."the current rules are certainly inflexible; they do not recognise that certain jobs can never truly be made family-friendly" www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2009/11/the-mother-of-all-paradoxes/
I remember hearing a similar argument from deeply prejudiced (male) property consultant a decade or so age. Rather depressing if we've come full circle...

Some jobs aren't family-friendly, for men or women. My DH works long hours, I barely see him during the week. I used to do the same job, but I gave it up as I choose to spend more time with my children.

It doesn't mean women can't do the job, just that any person who has caring responsibilities (or priorities in their life other than work) can't.

That's just the way things are: there's a difference between that and refusing to make reasonable adjustments to a role than could be split, or made to work flexibly. Which I think is the actual problem: a lack of willingness to adapt 'divisible' jobs into more family-friendly units. Not that some jobs (eg being deployed to Afghanistan, many professional roles that revolve around a specific individual) genuinely aren't that compatible with wanting to be home to see you children every night at 5 o'c.

Oil rig worker springs to mind.

Will read article now

Yes but this piece seems to be arguing that many senior roles can't be adapted to fit around women having babies (!) and that the more rights employers grant, the worse it gets for working mums...

Nursing, predominantly women in the job, yet very inflexible.
early shifts start at 7.30am, ends at 3.30pm, lates start at 1pm end at 9pm.
nights end at 8.30am.
every weeks off duty is different, so you never work the same shifts.
often off late, its not the kind of job that you can just leave if something os going down.

Dont know how they all do it, well, they dont, they leave.
Its very odd though.

The thing I hate about these articles is that none of them ever offer a solution.

The natural conclusion of the article appears to be, don't offer women maternity leave past 3 months.

But that's a shitty idea, isn't it.

So in the end all these articles boil down to is "bloody women".

I agree Sunburn.
Nursing ,especially hospital based,is not family friendly at all.
No set shifts,very unsocial hours.
Have only done it for 20 years because am lucky enough to work very very part t ime,otherwise couldnt cope.

thats why i haven't gone back to nursing since having my children, my professional registration has lapsed, and i'm not sure what to do when i choose to go back to work? work a week of nights and have a week off?

it would be better if you could work three 12hr shifts in a row and then have four days off

Allot of the girls i work with work nights, but the hospital that i wok at frowns upon 7 on, 7 off, also frown at permanent nights.

It is very stressful trying to juggle it all.

Long days mean that you just dont see your kids for 3 whole days and nights, you miss such a big chunk of them, again, they dont liek you working the long days back to back. If you can get one in at weekend, it boosts your wages.
You need very free and supportive family who are available to help out allot.