The balance between carers of parents being in the workforce and raising children at the same time is difficult for most, even if we live in Toorak and have had designer jewels, plastic surgery and have the expense to hire a nanny. An opinion piece entitled ‘Parenting’s still tough, even on Planet Toorak’, appearing in the Herald Sun on March 18th 2014 by Susie O’Brien, in a rational and humorous tone to influence her readers, in response to the increase of women in the workforce and the recent childcare rebates being brought forward by the Australian Government.
At the start of the Opinion Piece, Susie uses repetition to persuade her readers that parents are being pressured to ‘not only have it all, but to do it all as well’, to give a sense of how parents, as well as men have an exhausting job as a legal carer of a child and at the same time being employed. The use of the word ‘all’ implies that parents are doing everything, ‘to raise happy kids’ and ‘hold a well-paying job’. The readers of this article would feel empathetic for parents in today’s society as they are being pressured.
The writer of this Opinion Piece also uses an anecdote to position to the reader in the eyes of the writer, to illustrate how they would feel in this situation when we are being judged ‘for leaving the office to get to school at 2pm’ and while ‘swanning around in a suit and heels at the school pick-up’. It just gives a sense of judgement by most people in the wider community, due to the fact that they leave early at work and what they look like when they make an appearance within the school.
To sum up, Susie O’Brien was able to persuade her readers through the use of an anecdote and repetition to imply that parenting in the world of today is rough for most child-bearers, when they have to care for their child and juggle a well-paying job at the same time. Susie’s anecdote allowed the readers of this article, to view the situation in which these parents have been currently judged.
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