Is Working Moms woke?
TV Show · 2017
Working Moms has a wokeness score of 6/10, which we rate as Socially Conscious. Clear woke themes are present and intentional, but feel balanced and organic to the story. The message supports the plot and characters rather than dominating them.
Key points
- Portrays working motherhood as empowering while critiquing traditional domestic expectations.
- Features diverse cast and storylines addressing workplace sexism and female autonomy.
- Integrates progressive views on family, mental health, and relationships into core plot.
Wokeness analysis
Workin' Moms centers on four working mothers in Toronto navigating careers, childcare, marriages, and personal identities in a modern urban setting. The core premise challenges traditional expectations of motherhood by portraying women who prioritize professional ambitions alongside family life, often framing stay-at-home or traditional roles implicitly as less fulfilling. Diversity is present through the cast, including Asian-Canadian character Jenny and Black-Canadian character Anne, reflecting Toronto's multicultural reality in a mostly organic way. Storylines address postpartum challenges, workplace biases against mothers, infidelity, mental health, and evolving relationships without overt lectures in early seasons. However, the narrative consistently elevates feminist-leaning empowerment themes, such as rejecting societal guilt over working motherhood and exploring female sexuality and autonomy. Episodes frequently use humor to normalize non-traditional family dynamics and critique patriarchal structures subtly through character arcs. While entertainment value remains high with relatable comedy and drama, the intentional focus on validating progressive views of motherhood as a balancing act rather than a domestic priority makes the messaging noticeable and purposeful. The show avoids heavy didacticism but integrates social commentary on gender roles into the plot and character development, appealing to audiences seeking validation of career-oriented feminism. Conservative viewers may see it as promoting the idea that women must 'have it all' at the expense of traditional family structures. Overall, themes feel balanced within the story but clearly intentional rather than incidental.
Plot
Workin' Moms is a Canadian comedy-drama series that follows four thirtysomething friends in Toronto as they return to work after maternity leave and juggle careers, young children, marriages, and personal growth. Created by and starring Catherine Reitman as PR executive Kate, the group includes psychiatrist Anne, IT specialist Jenny, and real estate agent Frankie. They bond through a mommy group and confront the chaos of urban motherhood, including professional setbacks, relationship strains, postpartum issues, and identity crises. The show ran for seven seasons from 2017 to 2023 on CBC and later streamed on Netflix.
Analyzed by AI on July 19, 2026