There's another way to frame that... too few men put their career advancement on hold when they choose to have children. Instead of sharing the burden, society expects a disproportionate sacrifice from women.
Typical example: Nobody asks a male CEO or politician who is staying home to take care of the kids.
Let ask our self why anyones career advancement should be held on hold because they got children.
8 hours work day for 5 days a week was fought for and became standard by the work force during a time where men worked and women stayed at home. The balance became that the home got half the work force and the work got the other half.
Today when both adults are expected to work and people decide to have children, that change in society comes to a breaking point. It is problem that a disproportionate amount of women need to sacrifice their career to restore some part of the hours needed to raise children, but is the solution really that men too should sacrifice their career in equal amount, or is the problem on the 8hrs work day that was based on a society that no longer exist?
Of course, missing out on your kids growing up is also a sacrifice itself, even if it's something that maybe we as a society value less than a big salary - and it's certainly something men are expected to value less.
Absolutely. I have two children and I got to be much more involved in the early childhood of one than the other. It's a sacrifice that I've felt personally. It's just not anywhere close to a level playing field.
At the same level, company and function the pay gap is small. Yet, women are stuck in lower-ranked positions in greater proportion for some reason.