During a recent conversation with a colleague about Working Girl and Baby Boom—two iconic eighties films documenting the movement of women into the workplace—I questioned whether popular culture has progressed from these depictions of tennis-shoe-clad secretaries shuffling to midtown in two-piece suits. If we are to believe the, invariably male, writers of network sitcoms, it would appear that mothers have long ago retired those power suits in exchange for 1950s gender ideals. There would be nothing wrong with network television featuring stay-at-home moms if these comedies also showcased at least a few working mothers and stay-at-home dads. But … alas … network sitcoms appear to be in a Mad Men time warp despite demographic changes, the growth of female-headed households, and dire recent warnings about the coming end of men. Popular culture has no problem featuring single working women. Granted, these women usually spend 95% of their time talking about men, but I spent approximately three hours yesterday dissecting a recent relationship, so perhaps I’m not the best feminist to pass judgment here. Although women clearly can still “make it after all” on television, this only remains true until they get a ring on their finger and enter the delivery room. One can always point out exceptions like Up All Night (which I’ll admit, I’ve never seen), but, in most cases, network comedies remain particularly loathe to feature modern, shifting parental roles. Which brings me to Modern Family. Continue reading “Modern Family, You Say?”