Upon first glance, research director for the Center for Science and Democracy and mom, Gretchen Goldman, appears to be polished and put together while offering expert scientific commentary.
But if you saw her viral tweet after the cameras turn off — you would see the mother is just like most these days, juggling both sides of the work-from-home life.
Like many other parents, Goldman is currently working from home full-time while also raising her children, two boys aged 2 and 4 years old. She is frequently called to be a news contributor for segments on CNN, and most of the time, with little to prepare.
She revealed she was given “45 minutes to prepare and that’s prepared both in terms of content and appearance.” She added that “because of expectations on women on camera, a significant part of that time has to also be spent on my physical appearance and then getting the right setup.”
In her interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to discuss President Donald Trump‘s recent appointment of climate change denier David Legates to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Goldman sported a yellow blazer from the waist up with serene-looking background.
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In a tweet she shared last Tuesday, it revealed a behind-the-scenes look: a woman in bike shorts, surrounded by toys all over the living room floor with her laptop on a kitchen chair. “Just so I’m being honest,” Goldman captioned the photo.
Parents who are working from home and understand the struggle to discover any type of balance have been praising Goldman’s tweet.
Messages like, “OMG I love this. This is me on almost every business meeting,” while another person posted how moms working from home need to see both images to remind them how they are not alone.
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“This unfiltered glimpse into your reality is so important for the mental health of working moms in a pandemic,” one person commented. “If they only see the left image it can be very disheartening. The right image allows them to have a knowing laugh and cut themselves some slack.”
Goldman revealed to BuzzFeed News that while she feels “privileged” to be able to work from home safely during the pandemic, she does worry how the pressure will affect the careers of moms down the line.
“I am very concerned with how this is going to adversely affect women’s careers, especially in science where women are already underrepresented, and people of color are underrepresented, and this is going to exacerbate and dismantle a lot of the progress that we’ve made on that diversity,” she told the news outlet.