A woman from the UK, who did not identify herself, said she had felt uncomfortable since fathers started attending a weekly mothers’ meeting. According to her, participants used to talk about usually feminine topics, such as “sagging breasts”, but the presence of men changed the group dynamics.
The mother says she is not comfortable with the parents being in a support group (Image: Pexels)
the The text was posted on Mumsnet, the online parenting forum. “I started going to a weekly moms brunch a few months ago. The ad said it was for moms and babies, and it was a great place to meet other women and talk about everything from sagging breasts to holiday outings,” she wrote.
However, some women started adding paternal men to their WhatsApp group and started coming to meetings. “Personally, I think it changes the dynamic of men’s existence,” he said. “Just to add, there are parents who go to other groups I attend and it’s okay, I talk to them happily. But in this particular group, which was more of a support group, I felt uncomfortable.”
Opinions were divided in the comments: while some moms agreed that the presence of men can get in the way, others believe that dads also need a support group. “It is not unreasonable to want an exclusive space for mothers. If fathers also need support, they are free to create their own male or mixed group,” one said. “My husband was running five kilometers in the other direction to avoid participating in something like this. He was tired of hearing me complain about losing my breasts,” another mum joked.
“Well, what kind of group is that? I think a group of women would be helpful to talk about things like breastfeeding, birth injuries, etc. But if it was only about childcare, I think the more men involved, the better.” Women will never have equality until men bear half the burden as fathers. If women need support for that, so do they,” one commenter said.
“This sounds like a good support group—I can understand why dads would want to join too! You can take turns: One week everyone is welcome, only the following mums are invited,” someone else suggested.
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