Does America want Moms to stay at home?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-02-2005
Does America want Moms to stay at home?
987
Mon, 12-12-2005 - 11:28am
It was actually dh that suggested that America (gov't I suppose) wants Moms to stay at home. From what I have learned from these boards daycare is hideously expensive and maternity leave is very short. Many have said they couldn't afford to work because of daycare costs. Compare this to Canada where we have $7 a day daycare and Quebec is increasing maternity leave to 2 years at 55% pay or 1 year at 75% pay in January. With the $7 a day daycare Moms can easily afford to work, and with the paid maternity leave Moms can easily afford to stay home. It seems that in the states you're 'forced' into situations because it's your only option. Can't afford daycare? Stay at home. Maternity leave too short or have to work to support the family? Go back to work. Would any of you prefer if it would be easier financially to make either decision like it seems to be in Canada or are you fine with how it is?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2004
Wed, 12-14-2005 - 5:45pm
LOL.

Like I said before, I don't begrudge anyone their successes in life, yours and your Dhs included.

Mondo

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Wed, 12-14-2005 - 5:46pm
No, there will never be income equality in the US. But we should be able to come up with health coverage for all the kids as well as a decent education, and we don't. There are lots of things that would make it more humane to be a low paid fruit picker or house cleaner.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Wed, 12-14-2005 - 5:47pm
One can write to their congressmen and ask them what is up with the new more restrictive bankruptcy laws. One can ask them why school districts in one's state have widely divergent per pupil expenditures.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Wed, 12-14-2005 - 5:49pm
If you're in a bad mood now, you would be in an even worse mood if you knew how much your local hospital spends on free care for the uninsured, and how that affects your health insurance premiums.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Wed, 12-14-2005 - 5:52pm
Your tax dollars pay for the health care of the uninsured whether you like it or not. Also your insurance premiums. Public hospitals provide free care to the indigent. They are reimbursed by many sources, including the local tax base. Which includes you. The health care system also recoups the cost of free care through increased insurance premiums for those with coverage.


Edited 12/14/2005 7:29 pm ET by sabinamarianne
Avatar for myshkamouse
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 12-14-2005 - 5:55pm

Size of company or even gross receipts doesn't determine whether or not a company can afford long paid maternity leaves. So the govt picking "over 50 employees" or "over $2M in receipts" as the exemption rule doesn't work. I know plenty of large companies that would go bankrupt with long paid mat leaves and plenty of very small operations that could afford it easily."

They have to set rules using some data and size of company is good enough. Most large companies could afford it. Most would *not* be bankrupt. Name a public company that this would bankrupt and why? Just one....

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Wed, 12-14-2005 - 6:01pm
Of course the middle class is getting royally ripped off today in so many ways. But we don't want to think about it, and we don't have to, yet, because we can still get by. As long as we think "it's their own fault", we don't have to worry for ourselves.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-1999
Wed, 12-14-2005 - 6:02pm

Now Mondo, you're putting words in my mouth. I have compassion. I haven't booted my renter out yet, despite the two years of ridiculously late rent. Granted, I think she's an idiot. But I am letting her rent from me, when most corporations would have kicked her out long ago.

I am not w/o compassion for the have nots in society. I give my time and money to charitable organizations. Moreoever, I'm teaching DS the importance of giving and being charitable. It's an important tenet of our faith. But I think my support of those less fortunate than me should be my decision, not something the government requires me to do through taxation. And I don't feel guilty that I'm a "have." Somebody has to be. Why NOT me?

I lived on ramen noodles and busted my butt in college (which I paid for through scholarships and loans). There was many a night I couldn't afford to go to the bar w/my sorority sisters b/c I was a scholarship student and didn't have an allowance from my folks.

I don't pick my friends b/c of their income level. I've see both sides of the coin. And I'm sure I would have liked you just as much 20 years ago (well, I was 10 yo 20 years ago, so I'm not sure we would have had much in common...but you get the point) as I do now. And I do like you, even if I don't agree with you!

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Wed, 12-14-2005 - 6:04pm

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If your kids are hungry and there's no heat, that's what you do.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-1999
Wed, 12-14-2005 - 6:09pm

Ok. So why your comment of...

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I mean, if I'm not doing anything that everyone else isn't doing, why so snarky?

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