Parenting, work and gender - who takes the day off?

[Mother Goose]

I have the opposite. My boss expects my DH to take some of the sick days for the kids. His boss also expects it. My boss has young kids so has an understanding. We have known DHs boss for over 13 years and he couldn't care less if DH took sick leave for the kids. Especially since he can work from home.
We decide who is staying home based on who has what on and what can be moved. I find it difficult because when they're ill, I just want to be with them.

[wysiwyg]

We decide based on what works for that day - factors taken into consideration include - who has what on, whether get paid if off (e.g. if I am contracting no work no pay), what is best for the children (e.g. DS still has BF, so if he is sick it may be easier for me to be off), whether can work from home etc. etc.

DH would never assume it would be me, although I am definitely considered the primary caregiver.

How old is the book? Where is it from, here? or abroad?

I am not sure I would let the interviews rile me, because in general I have not encountered those opinions from men who do have partners who are working (I would say that actually I have encountered more negative opinions about womens roles from women).

Whoever take the days off, I do think that in most cases there is one partner who is the one who takes on the role of 'making sure the family is ok' - in some families that is the man, and I think that role can shift over the years.

I am not that convinced that men and women think that differently really, and if they do I am not sure that getting women to approach things like men is the answer, I wonder if there is a book for men, to understand women better so that they can approach things in a 'female' way - I doubt it somehow. Really it would be better for there to be more acceptance in that different people have different ways of doing things and recognizing the benefits in different approaches.