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So you've had a new baby. Congratulations! Now put that thing down and get back to work or we'll dock your pay.
That's the subtle message being insidiously delivered to working moms nation wide. Now there's a social / political action group actively working to change that scenario. A report provided by CNN Money.com reveals that Moms Rising, a well organized group with increasing power, has amassed a membership of nearly 80,000 since May of 2006. I would call that a bit of a ground swell. They are "taking it to the streets" and to the legislators and to the unions and, they intend, to the board rooms. They don't want to toss their babies aside in pursuit of wages after giving birth. They are demanding that this nation's employers take notice of the extreme value of properly raised children and they're tired of paying an unfair price for recognizing that truth.
Moms Rising Executive Director, Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner states that US employment policies are lacking and unfair in the way they address middle and lower class working families dealing with child rearing issues. I think she's right and she has the statistics to support that position. A Cornell University study has shown that mothers of professional status were 44% less likely to be hired when compared with their non-mother counterparts and that they would be offered as much as $11,000 lower starting salaries on average. Moms Rising seeks to make family status a taboo matter when being considered for a job. It's not right that your status as a parent would count against you if you're the most qualified applicant for a position. Remember that single and divorced dads figure into this situation also. Given the vast and varied custody arrangements floating around these days, being a child's part time care giver shouldn't count against daddy either.
The major area of focus for Moms Rising is paid leave for addressing child care and rearing issues. This is a hotbed of contention and will most likely require serious pressure and lobbying from more than one group. This is why Moms Rising encourages and supports all positive means of activism which are undertaken by their members and any interested satellite organizations. Moms Rising sees no differentiation between social or economic classes when it comes to fair treatment and compensation for those individuals who are raising children. This is about parents not being penalized for having kids. It's that clear and it's that simple.
I for one don't much have to deal with the problem of sacrificing pay to care for my child. My employer has made it clear that raising children is done at your own peril. They won't compensate one cent for absences involved with child rearing, unless you use your own vacation time for it. I'm one of the lucky ones here. My lovely wife is a stay-at-home mom. I guess there are certain advantages to childcare being so outrageously expensive and wages being so low that it's impractical and unaffordable for my wife to go back to work outside the home.
Now ain't that just a kick in the head.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-16-2007 @ 1:22AM
bri said...
I want kids someday but I say to folks, you want a kid, pay for it yourself.
I work with people who are always going out on maternity leave and one just came back after more than a 1 year absence. the majority of us are permenanent contractors (with benefits), but I am sure the employer had to pick up most of that.
also our insurance treats pregnancy as a disability, so people are able to collect short- and long-term benefits as if they fell off a ladder working on their house. I'm sure this increases insurance rates for everyone. it's not a disability, it's a choice.
when you also lump in tax breaks with all this, it really is unbelievable.
1-17-2007 @ 12:28AM
Michele said...
Brilliant article and really touches on something America is way behind in realizing: If a parent is home to raise the children, chances are, the child has a better chance at life... Everyone says our children are our future... I'd love to see this country put that sentiment into action...
1-26-2007 @ 3:00PM
Child grown up with mother at home said...
I grew up with my mom always at my side. She was always there for me. My dad would work and my mom would stay home - but don't say it was easy! When you have a home someone has to be the houskeeper right? When you have a family someone has to be the cook right? When you have kids someone has to take care of them right? My mom kept me home for several reasons.
1. Everytime I went to the nurery, even for only 3 hours, I would get a cold.
2. the schools in the particular area were not fit, so she taught me :)
3. She wanted me to have her support. She wanted me to learn from her. I have learned alot from her.
I AGREE that MOMTHERS should STAY HOME and guide thier chrildren through life. It's always been like that before, and it works well.
2-12-2007 @ 3:32PM
My mom stayed at home said...
I grew up with my mom always at my side. She was always there for me. My dad would work and my mom would stay home - but don't say it was easy! When you have a home someone has to be the houskeeper right? When you have a family someone has to be the cook right? When you have kids someone has to take care of them right? My mom kept me home for several reasons.
1. Everytime I went to the nurery, even for only 3 hours, I would get a cold.
2. the schools in the particular area were not fit, so she taught me :)
3. She wanted me to have her support. She wanted me to learn from her. I have learned alot from her.
I AGREE that MOMTHERS should STAY HOME and guide thier chrildren through life. It's always been like that before, and it works well.
1-30-2007 @ 11:17PM
KFS said...
As a former stay-at-home mom and current part-time teacher, I can offer several perpectives and find it amusing (!) to read the comments of those who do not have children and therefore little perspective. Employer benefits for pregnancy or childrearing are not selfish little perks for the parents--look at them as benefits to society for the proper nurturing of the future generation! Most of the rest of the developed world has much better state-mandated benefits for parents than we do in the U.S. And to the child of a wonderful mom at home--lucky for you your mom kept her perspective, but not all moms are cut out for full-time motherhood and no, it has not always worked well, or there would be no dysfunctional families that were products of depressed stay-at-home moms and uninvolved dads. Sad to say, some parents are not their children's best teachers, so society should continue to invest more in quality childcare and public education--as well as support more flexible workplaces for parents-- anything we can do to give all our children their best chance at a good future.
2-02-2007 @ 1:03PM
Joyce said...
I am a single parent living off of 1 income and trying to support two children. I only make 26,000 a year, in the area I live it is already hard to afford housing let alone pay for before and aftercare for two children. I have two different fathers for my children and only 1 pay child support that is only $100.00, the other is supposed to pay but he just decided he doesn't want to. Since he doesn't drive or work he doesn't care if they want to suspend his liscense. So now when my children are sick I do have to pick between my kids health or losing a day of pay. It upsets me that some people who don't have kids truly don't understand the struggles of raising your future workers or leaders. I personally think that we in America have a lot of children who are raising themselves because there are a lot of households with single parents who have to work sometimes two to three jobs just to make ends meat. So we as single parents need more perks to survive in the work industry.