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?

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Image hosted by Photobucket.com


Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Thu, 12-15-2005 - 8:55pm
Either price increases are directly and solely related to wage increases, in which case one could reasonably argue that it cancels itself out, *or* they are multifactoral, possibly including wage increases. We have to choose.
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-03-2005
Thu, 12-15-2005 - 8:56pm

<>

No, that's about what she said. But she did NOT say that was the only thing that would cause an increase in inflation.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-25-2004
Thu, 12-15-2005 - 8:58pm

Whether teachers are fairly compensated depends a lot on where you live. Where I live they are. Where my mother in law lives, they are not.

Also, just to set the record straight, while teachers do have more vacation, it amounts to 6 weeks more than I have. Do you think a teacher deserves to be paid half what an engineer does because she works 6 fewer weeks per year?

Here, teachers can work up to a pretty good wage but there are areas of the country where with 10 years experience, a teacher can't make half of what an engineer does. Given what they are responsible for and what I am responsible for, in my work, I have to wonder about that.

I think many teachers are under paid even with the added vacation time considered. It really depends on what state you're talking about.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-03-2005
Thu, 12-15-2005 - 9:01pm

<>

Yeah? She never said price increases weren't multifactoral. Her *only* point was that increasing the minimum wage increases prices enough that workers don't actually realize the increase in wages.

She didn't say there weren't other factors that cause prices to increase. She didn't even begin to imply it.

She didn't say that removing minimum wages would stop inflation.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2003
Thu, 12-15-2005 - 9:25pm

No, we don't. Inflation is caused by many things all at the same time. Although other things ALSO affect inflation, it doesn't negate the fact the raising the minimum wage affects it. It's not a "possibly" thing. How exactly could raising wages across the board *not* affect prices?

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Thu, 12-15-2005 - 10:12pm
If that's not what she said, then what could her argument possibly be? If I put more in the collection plate, and the church's expenses go up, is it my fault? I'm not getting this.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Thu, 12-15-2005 - 10:15pm
All that you say may be true. But nothing you or CM say supports the remotest connection between wage increases and price increases. If I buy a fur coat, and then the cold weather comes, would the weather have remained warm if I hadn't bought the coat? Or would it have happened *anyway*?
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Thu, 12-15-2005 - 10:21pm
You did choose, in favor of "multifactoral". Which may or may not include wage increases. How could raising wages not affect prices? Several different ways. For instance, workers could *bank* the extra wages instead of spending them, which might result in no upward pressure on prices. Or an imported commodity could rise in price because of increased import tariffs, resulting in price pressures unrelated to wage increases in the importing country. Or taxes could suddenly increase, canceling the wage increase. Or all these things could happen at once. Where did you say you took your Economics 101 course?
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-15-2003
Thu, 12-15-2005 - 10:24pm

This is economics at it's simplest.


If I have to pay Jonny $8 an hour to pick corn (rather than the $6 I paid him before), then I have to increase the price of corn to keep turning the same profit. Since corn is now more expensive, Jonny probably still won't be able to afford it and all other people who love corn and are used to being able to buy it at a reasonable price either start demanding raises or stop buying corn.


Should companies not be allowed to make profits? Is that it? Should there be a 'maximum allowed profit'? Or 'minimum set

Meldi
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Thu, 12-15-2005 - 10:28pm

<>

Why wouldn't they? Why shouldn't they?

Pages