"The Motherhood Manifesto"

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http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060522/blades

as seen linked @ http://pinkofeministhellcat.typepad.com/pinko_feminist_hellcat/

................It's often said that motherhood is perhaps the most important, and most difficult, job on the planet. This clich hits fairly close to the mark. While we raise our children out of an innate sense of love and nurturing, we also know that raising happy, healthy children who become productive adults is critical to our future well-being as a nation.

But right now, motherhood in America is at a critical juncture. As women's roles continue to evolve, more women than ever are in the workforce and most children are raised in homes without a stay-at-home parent. At the same time, public and private policies that affect parenting and the workplace remain largely unchanged. We have a twenty-first-century economy stuck with an outdated, industrial-era family support structure. The result is that parents, mothers in particular, are struggling to balance the needs of their children with the demands of the workplace.

America's mothers are working, and working hard. Almost three-quarters have jobs outside their homes. Then, too, America's mothers are working hard but for less money than men (and less money than women who are not mothers). In fact, the wage gap between mothers and nonmothers is greater than that between nonmothers and men-and it's actually getting bigger. One study found that nonmothers with an average age of 30 made 90 cents to a man's dollar, while moms made only 73 cents to the dollar, and single moms made 56 to 66 cents to a man's dollar.

"It is well-established that women with children earn less than other women in the United States," writes Jane Waldfogel of Columbia University in The Journal of Economic Perspectives. "Even after controlling for differences in characteristics such as education and work experience, researchers typically find a family penalty of 10-15 percent for women with children as compared to women without children."................

[Warpy]

1. Mothers in this country are screwed six ways from Sunday

and they're not getting dinner first.

The amazing thing is that so many women still DO it. The labor is intense and lasts for decades and the rewards are nonexistant save for the warm fuzzies. The job is a vitally important one, the main job of the human race, yet it is universally despised by men and their businesses. Oh, they come up with hearts and flowers once a year, but their policies both discourage and penalize the whole thing.

European countries have found it necessary to institute pronatalist policies to give mothers the support they lack from the holy free marketplace, like stipends to help them stay home with the kids during the first 2 years at least, day care support, universal health care, and generous time off. Eventually this country will have to turn its face from Empire and realize that the people here are not doing well, and the people doing the worst are its mothers and their children.

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2. It's funny how fast

people are to attack parents (and to esp. hold mothers accountable) for societies ills, for people's problems and one thing or another - but not to expect for there to be supports for those parents/mothers.

I've seen people argue against pay equality and against child support.

And that's on the "liberal" boards. :eyes:


It's not just the women and children who suffer - we were all children once. And we all live in this society together.


We should be looking at the European models - they have been on a much better track. Of course they aren't spending all of their resources on stupid wars, either. Or letting the people making a million a year keep $42,000 more in tax money.

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3. "This Mother's Day..."

"This Mother's Day, why not step back and reflect about how we as a country can really help mothers like Renee? For example, the option of flextime would make a world of difference for Renee and her family. "Flextime would make a huge difference in my life because with my job function, there are busy days and late days. As long as I'm there forty hours a week and get my job done, then I don't know why anyone would care. I don't understand why there's such an 8 am to 5 pm 'law' in my workplace."


That one thing would have made a huge difference in my sister's ability to keep her better-paying job. Where I worked we had it - it seems pretty simple really. Doesn't cost the company anything. There is no reason that this shouldn't be the norm everywhere.

[bloom]

4. More snips...

(I recommend that people read the whole thing)

"Sweden, with about a year of paid family leave and some time specifically reserved for fathers, is often held up as a model. Not surprisingly, with this support, Ann Crittenden writes in The Price of Motherhood, "Swedish women on average have higher incomes, vis-à-vis men, than women anywhere else in the world."

meanwhile...

"Recent Cornell University research by Shelley Correll confirms what many American women are finding: Mothers are 44 percent less likely to be hired than nonmothers who have the same résumé, experience and qualifications; and mothers are offered significantly lower starting pay. Study participants offered nonmothers an average of $11,000 more than equally qualified mothers for the same high-salaried job. Correll's groundbreaking research adds to the long line of studies that explore the roots of this maternal wage gap. "We expected to find that moms were going to be discriminated against, but I was surprised by the magnitude of the gap," explains Correll. "I expected small numbers, but we found huge numbers. Another thing was that fathers were actually advantaged, and we didn't expect fathers to be offered more money or to be rated higher." But that's what happened."

What the manifesto recommends:

§?M = Maternity/Paternity Leave: Paid family leave for all parents after a new child comes into the family.

§?O = Open, Flexible Work: Give parents the ability to structure their work hours and careers in a way that allows them to meet both business and family needs. This includes flexible work hours and locations, part-time work options and the ability to move in and out of the labor force without penalties to raise young children.

§?T = TV We Choose & Other After-School Programs: Offer safe, educational opportunities for children after school doors close, including a clear and independent universal television rating system for parents along with technology that allows them to choose what is showing in their own homes; quality educational programming for kids; expanded after-school programs.

§?H = Healthcare for All Kids: Provide quality, universal healthcare to all children.


§?E = Excellent Childcare: Quality, affordable childcare should be available to all parents. Childcare providers should be paid at least a living wage and healthcare benefits.

§?R = Realistic and Fair Wages: Two full-time working parents should be able to earn enough to care for their family. And working mothers must receive equal pay for equal work.

[MountainLaurel]

5. Printed it out and will read tonight

I keep trying to convince my husband to move to a real First World country, where all people, including parents and the non-elite, are supported to make it easier to raise child without facing bankruptcy at every turn, but so far it's a no-go.

[WildClarySage]

6. I'm particularly annoyed by the lack of support among

liberal, non-parenting women for those of us who choose to have children. I expect it from rightwingers, men and especially from rightwinger men. But being called a 'breeder' instead of a 'mom', from my fellow feminist posters is insulting. I support wholly these women's decision to refrain from having children, and I expect that my decision to bear two (of the bestest) kids ever should likewise be respected. I have never derided or questioned any woman who chose not to reproduce, but I've read insulting statements written by women at DU.

If we can't agree to respect each other's choices, how can we demand others respect ours?

[bloom]

7. I agree that it's sad

to read that stuff.

I think what these women (the authors) are doing to promote this issue and hopefully awareness to people is essential. It's not enough for childless women to have choices and opportunities. If anyone needs to be well-paid and to receive support and respect - it's mothers - but all too often that isn't happening.

Sometimes stay at home or single dad's think that they are on the same bandwagon - but when you look at the wage disparity graphs based on gender, education and income - you can see that that isn't true. Men have a much easier time getting a better paying job with the same education level.



Authors of the Mother's Manifesto - Joan Blades & Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

Joan Blades is a co-founder of http://MomsRising.org and http://MoveOn.org . She is the author of Mediate Your Divorce (Prentice Hall).

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner writes about public policy, health and women's issues. She is the co-founder of http://MomsRising.org and author of the award-winning book The F-Word: Feminism in Jeopardy (Avalon).