Feminism and Motherhood????

[littlegizmo]

Firstly, I've never posted on a forum like this, let alone one about feminism so please don't jump on me :) but...
I've always considered myself to be a feminist however since having children and actively deciding to work part time (yes I am fully aware of the fact that I am very lucky to have this as an option), I wonder am I being hypocritical??
I could have progressed my career but the hours would have been ridiculous, my husbands are too. My options would have been neither of us seeing our children or my husband scaling back his career. Ultimately the thought of anyone else (even my husband) being the primary carer for my children appealed far less than the thought of scaling back my career.
So as the feminist move seems to be taking up speed (thank god), I find myself more and more restling with how I can have this view and be a feminist. Is this not wanting to have my cake ....?

Hate the game, not the player.

Beautifully put, Cailin. That is exactly how childrearing is portrayed most of the time!

Looking after children is work, essential work and feminists have sought for that work to be valued. It is because it isn't valued that it's women that are generally expected to do it.

these are questions that plague me. I am a working mum that sometimes wants to be a stay at home mum and i think both are fine as people have stated above, those are the gains of feminism.
where i think feminism hasn't gained enough is in getting us the economic stability to be mums full stop. i've just finished making a 20 minute documentary film about this subject, and i hope you don't mind me plugging it here, i think more mums thinking about this topic is important. we don't live in a society that values motherhood enough to support us in being mums staying at home or going to work. here's the link to the film's trailer...and sorry in advance if it is inappropriate to link to it here! www.atomisedmothers.wordpress.com

Have just read your update OP and agree that we need to change the long working hours culture in the UK.

To me full time = 9-5 but I can see from mumsnet threads that so many women & men are required to work much longer.

The working time directive was supposed to limit work to 48 hours. I'd like to see this properly enforced except in extreme circumstances.

It can be quite different to find a job in the UK that doesn't include an opt-out clause to the EWTD