May 9, 2008
In an annual Mother’s Day study by Massachusetts-based company Salary.com, it was found that mothers who stay at home “would earn about $126,593 a year if they were on a company payroll.”
The salary calculation for mothers also took into account the roles they fulfill as laundry machine operators, computer operators, facilities managers, van drivers and janitors. With overtime work averaging about 54.4 hours a week, stay-at-home mothers worked a hefty 94.4 hour workweek.
The study also took note that “moms who worked outside the home worked an average of 54.6 hours in addition to their regular job.”
I’d love to see someone try to argue against the Double Shift (the notion that women who work outside the home work a second shift once they return) in the comments. You can read the rest of the article here.
Note: Refrain from reading the comments on the article unless you want to become a tad bit upset. They’re pretty terrible. (But not unexpected.)
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Posted by Derek
May 9, 2008
A pet peeve of mine is when people blame the actions of children on the parents, and more often than not, the mother. It bothers me because these people often overlook other factors, such as why the parents can’t be looking after the children. This news story is a good example illustrating why we shouldn’t blame the parents of children for the children’s actions.
The mother, Patricia, is a single parent raising four children, all under the age of 10. Her six-year-old son is suspected to have set a house alight. Is this her fault? Some seem to think so. Patricia explains,
“I’ve run into a few people and they say, ‘Don’t you think you should be charged for your kid’s actions?’ And I says, well, I’m at home with my twins right now. I’m a single parent of four children. I can’t be with them 24/7.”
Charging mothers for their children’s actions won’t solve these problems. We need better access to resources for single parents. The blame can’t be placed on single parents for one simple reason: They don’t have the resources to adequately care for their children. Single mothers are already the most at-risk group for poverty. Forcing them to take time away from work or other things that must be undertaken for the family’s survival in order to spend more time with their children is bound to cause more problems.
So, instead of making an already difficult situation even more unbearable and telling these women (and some men) that they should be held responsible for another person’s actions, try making a phone call or writing a letter to your MP (or other representative), urging them to push for better access to resources for people in these situations. That’s all I ask.
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Posted by Derek
