Unique contributions to society

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2006
Unique contributions to society
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Thu, 10-19-2006 - 4:12pm

In another thread, the "unique" contributions of SAHM's were alluded to but it wasn't stated what they are. Let's play a game and find out what they are. First, pretend that as of tomorrow, all moms SAH and detail what will be missing from society then pretend that all moms go to work and detail what will be missing from society. I'm really curious as to what people think a world without SAHM's orWOHM's would look like.

If all the moms who SAH went to work then the library would move story hour to the evening and summer vacation bible school would be held in the evenings so that all kids can attend and not just the kids of SAHM's. Banks would likely shift their hours to later in the day and you'd see more 24 hour stores. I think there would be more home cooking style restaurants too. I think day care centers would improve because of increased demand.

If all moms who WOH suddenly SAH, you'd see fewer service industries around because moms could do things themselves instead of paying for them. The nursing shortage would be more of a shortage. We'd probably have a shortage of teachers too. There'd be fewer government services because there'd be less tax dollars to pay for them. I can't think of anything else right now.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2006
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 11:29am

Off hand I do not know... but I have seen working women post that they are still able to provide the after school care themselves.. so i doubt that it cannot be done. Depends on what the parent does for a living. If they only want to work part time at a certain job, then i'm sure it's very easy.

In my experience, some the friends I've had who decided to stay home, have wanted to do so until the child starts school. They preferred being home with the child instead of using day care

(And i'm not trying to say that day care is bad or evil, just that some parents prefer to do it themselves)

Avatar for mom34101
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 11:36am

I suppose you could say that a wohm makes a different kind of social contribution by working, but the time that she spends to make that different kind of contribution means that she spends less time providing childcare. The sahm simply makes one kind of contribution during that time instead of two.

I don't agree that social contribution is tied to work status, nor do I agree that a job is inherently "better" than taking care of your own children, nor do I think that someone who works is doing something "more" simply by doing two things with her time rather than one.

I don't think I'm stumped by your position at all; I just don't agree with it. You made quite clear in your response to travsmom below that the special contribution of a dcp is that she frees women up to work or to volunteer. This presumes that other things--jobs other than childcare and volunteering--are more important than childcare.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-14-2003
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 11:36am

i'm pretty sure the majority who have worked out flexible schedules or have flexibility at work do so because we stayed in our jobs and changed them from the inside, not because there is a wealth of school-schedule-friendly jobs just ripe for the plucking as soon as a sahp decides she wants to go back to work. if what you are looking at is luch shift at a fast food resturant, you might have a point, but otherwise, you might want to wait a while before you start counting those chickens.

in my experience, the people who are most likely to get school-schedule-friendly work are those who start working toward arranging it long before their children start school--and rarely those who quit working altogether when their children are younger than school aged.




Edited 10/26/2006 11:38 am ET by chimaira
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-31-2005
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 11:40am

But that doesn't include day cares, does it? What do day cares pay their workers who have college degrees?

I haven't researched it currently--and don't live close enough to know through experience, but the state used to be well-known for its high test scores across the grade levels. The ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) is still considered one of the best tests in the nation for measuring student achievement.

Given your definition of good quality day care, where the child is directly supervised by an individual with a four year college degree and certification in ECE, then IMO it comes down to factors like price and age. Perhaps the cost of good quality day care, by your standard, plus working expenses, doesn't leave the family with much more money than if one parent SAH. Many SAHP's are able to save enough money by not paying for child care, gas, wear and tear on a vehicle, home and lawn maintenance, meals out, etc., to feel that the extra time with the pre-school child is worth their while.

Second, babies don't need peer interaction; they need lots of time being held, played with, read to, and interacted with. In my area the ratio for babies is 1:5, and IMO the time consumed just diapering and feeding five babies doesn't allow for as much direct interaction as a SAHP CAN provide if she so chooses.

But by your standard of "good quality day care," I would certainly be more willing to place my DS in such a facility for a few hours a day by the time he hit 3, perhaps a couple of mornings a week even once he was 2. I guess it depends on the child. Right now I still feel I am able to provide as good or better care (and ECE) for my 15 month old than a day care with a 1:5 ratio. When that changes, I'll reconsider. Also, I'm speaking for my own situation only, so don't assume I'm generalizing. I'm not.

I guess I still didn't answer your question. I'll try again. Given a day care provider with the same qualifications as a kindergarten teacher, there is no magic number, 4, 5, 6 when all children are ready for day care/school. But as another poster pointed out, there is a significant difference between a 3 month-old infant and a 3 year-old.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2006
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 11:41am

I had been talking about hypothetical situations up to now, because I am now back at my job that I had before children, and my children are not old enough for school yet. I was just pointing out that I didn't personally see the need for me to be home during school hours because I wouldn't have very much to do. But my husband is the at home parent now and he is looking at part time employment he can do from home.

I was trying to explain to the posters who had issues with my last several posts that the time a child is in school, you are not *needed* as much. Sure the parent could be home in case of emergencies or other needs, but I know I would just be sitting in front of the tv if it was me. ;)

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-31-2005
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 11:45am

That's a shame. DS is only 15 months old and I'm already researching elementaries. Unfortunately there's a huge range of quality from school to school--even classroom to classroom-- in both public and private settings.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 11:49am

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Isn't the US behind in education?

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-31-2005
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 11:49am

I think that's great--an exellent resource for parents. Incidentally, do you know what the teacher student ratio is in these district pre-K programs?

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2006
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 11:50am

I know I'm going to be looking at the elementary schools around here to see what is available.

I didn't read all of the last few posts, but teachers are not just brought in off the streets. They have to be educated in order to educate others. I would like to think that makes them qualified to teach children.

And it's not like parents just pat their kid on the butt and send them off without a second look...

Avatar for mom34101
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 10-26-2006 - 11:50am

I don't really understand your question.

If you're asking about what I did, I spent a lot of time researching both preschool/dc and schools before choosing either. Choosing a school took more time because once I had narrowed it down to two schools, I visited every classroom in every grade.

We have open enrollment in our district, so choosing a school takes time and thought, and most educated people I know put a lot of thought into it. In the suburbs here, most people I know put a lot of thought into choosing the neighborhood they live in because that is how school enrollment is determined. For instance, a friend of mine just moved so that she could get her kids into a particular k-8 school.

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