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Opinion: Law firms’ flexible working policies – could do better

Why do these kinds of pieces always focus only on the role of women in bringing up children? There are many other difficult life situations where law firms could be more flexible, and these situations affect men as well as women. I am a male partner in a large law firm who is trying to take care of my aged mother who has Parkinson's Disease, which creates significant stress. I find that the women at work generate a considerable amount of sympathy when they speak of situations where they have to take time off to be with their children, but people become very uncomfortable if I tell them that I need to take time off to care for my mother. I end up having to cope with this situation by myself with little support from others. We all have to cope with difficult situations in life in which flexibility from our employers is warranted, and this goes far beyond women taking care of their children.

16-Feb-2010

2:11 pm