Are working moms shooting themselves in the foot?

From Katrin Schumann, mom and co-author of “Mothers Need Time-Outs, Too,” for which she interviewed over 500 women to share tips about modern parenting.

Do working moms whine too much about their responsibilities, expecting co-workers to pick up the slack when family duties call — or do they suffer from inflexible workplace regulations? Should we buck up and be uncomplaining “professionals,” or fight for legislation that will lighten our load?

A recent article by British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman has mothers on both sides of the Atlantic crying foul. Shulman argues that legislation protecting working mothers risks sending the glass ceiling we’ve all worked so hard to breach crashing down on our heads. “Let’s not put that progress back,” the working mother-of-one says, “by creating a world where the next generation of women workers becomes too inconvenient and awkward to employ.”

Though I work 30–40 hours a week, I am my own boss and make my own hours. If one of my three children calls, I can drop everything. Not so for most working moms. One woman we interviewed — a Hollywood player, no less — said she can’t even put up a picture of her kids in the office. Another mom negotiated a three-day work week, only to find herself working full-time hours at three-fifths of her salary.