💨 Abstract

After the author's wife passed away, he received an outpouring of support, including meals and help with household tasks. Initially grateful, he later felt uncomfortable with the implicit assumptions that, as a widowed man, he couldn't care for himself or his daughter. Offers of childcare, in particular, suggested he lacked necessary skills. Despite his shared parenting before his wife's death, societal expectations persisted that he needed help, especially since his child was a girl.

Courtesy: Carl Gorham