''Because Mommy Works'' is a 1994 television film directed by Robert Markowitz. It is about Abby (

Anne Archer Anne Archer (born August 24, 1947) is an American actress. Archer was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971, and in the year following, appeared in her feature film debut ''The Honkers'' (1972). She had supporting roles in ''Cancel My Reservation'' (1 ...

) who fights with Ted Forman ( John Heard) for the custody of their son Willie Forman ( Casey Wurzbach). The action takes place in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The film confronts the issue of women being denied custody rights during divorce partly or solely because they work at jobs outside the home, allegedly making them less available as maternal caregivers. It focuses in particular on the added custodial challenge that working women face if their former husband has remarried a woman who does not have a job. The film was inspired by a true story that appeared in ''

McCall's Magazine ''McCall's'' was a monthly American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-for ...

'' in 1992, "Why a Good Mother Lost Custody of her Child," by author Cameron Stauth. The article was about a custody case in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

, that involved a female teacher who lost custody of her young son, primarily because her husband had remarried a woman who did not work outside the home. Stauth co-produced the film with Anne Archer, and it was written by writer/director Lynn Mamet, sister of writer/director David Mamet. The issue of working mothers being penalized in custody cases is still being debated in the courts, and is the subject of heated debate among women's rights advocates."The Custody Wars," Mary Ann Mason, Chapter: "Are Mothers Losing the Custody Wars?" published by Berkeley Law, University of California, 1999.

References

External links

* 1994 films 1994 drama films 1994 television films American drama television films Films directed by Robert Markowitz Films set in California 1990s American films {{1990s-drama-film-stub