W. J. Stephen

Chasing a Dream: A Search for Equality W. J. Stephen

Chasing a Dream is intended as a tribute to all parents involved in the awesome task of bringing up children: to those with little option but to go out to full-time work; to single parents caught in the trap of trying to be in two places at the same time; and to those who choose to stay at home yet are mocked for not having a real job. The author uses his late wife Rachel's diaries to show the difficulties an ordinary family experienced in day-to-day living. He makes no claim that their marriage was better or any more successful than average in raising children. The changing customs and mores over the past sixty years do provide an historic and social backdrop and may enable the reader to view some contemporary attitudes and expectations from a more enlightened perspective. The right to have children and a full-time job is challenged. Stress and lack of time are put in an historical perspective. It is suggested that the fight for equality by the Women's Movement has been sidetracked, even let down, by the aspirations of some feminists. The conflict between the sexes and between women themselves remains unresolved; the consequent fragmentation of society cannot solely be blamed on government, schools or society itself. A stable society in large measure depends on the state of the family. We are all responsible: we all need to look in the mirror.