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Single Mom at Work blogger Kristin Darguzas wrote a post at Work It, Mom! recently that caused quite an uproar around the blogosphere: the fact that she wears a wedding ring to work.
Yes, you heard that right: Kristin is not married. She says that "business acquaintances are much more at ease when they learn I have a child if I am wearing my ring on my wedding finger."
I wasn't the only single mom who balked when I read that. Don't get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of Kirstin’s blog, but at first, I wanted to fly up to Canada and set this woman straight. We've come so far, as single moms in the workplace, I wanted to tell her. Please don't set us back.
But as the days passed, I found that I needed to back up and listen to single moms like Kristin, who also work in the corporate world. After all, I work in a nook off my kitchen. I wear sweatpants to work! I occasionally have meetings in San Francisco -- mostly with other mom-editors in the publishing industry. (In fact, if I'm wearing a ring, it's a Singelringen.)
I wrote a post on my own blog and, within hours, single moms around the web were speaking up, in empathy with Kristin:
"I don’t think it’s anyone’s business if a woman is married, divorced or single," writes single mom blogger Kat Wilder. "I believe it’s her right to wear a ring if it works for her, for whatever reason."
One HR Manager says: "We live in a society that still discriminates.. discrimination on the basis of family status is alive and well… I recently did wear a ring to a job interview. It was a last second decision to wear just a simple band. There was no point losing out on a job, or a promotion -- on a principle."
Single mom Jeanie asks if it's really Kirstin's responsibility to "change for the whole of society." Loralee chimes in: "Why should Kirstin have to carry the banner of single motherhood if it isn’t what she wants to do?"
Now it's my turn to put myself in Kristin's shoes -- uh, heels.
Do you know any single moms who wear wedding rings to work? Are you one? Why do you (or don't you) do it?
About the Author:
Rachel Sarah is the author of "Single Mom Seeking: Play Dates, Blind Dates, and Other Dispatches from the Dating World" and the single-mom columnist at Lifetime TV. She blogs at www.singlemomseeking.com/blog.
