One of the arguments I hear often that does not support equal pay regardless of gender is that women are more likely to stay home with sick children, take maternity leave, work fewer hours, and not be as present because of their care taking duties. First of all, putting that blanket scenario on all women is discrimination. Second of all, men should be stepping up to be caretakers, too. Third, this is described as a choice, though if you're coming from many Christian backgrounds or traditional United Statian* families, it may not seem like such a choice. In fact, in the scientific study of the life course, being a caretaker (whether for children, aging parents, and other unexpected circumstances) has several stages. I would argue that being a caretaker is a choice just as everything in life is a choice. Another choice to make is whether or not to wear the same underwear for a week straight. There are consequences, but hey, it's a choice, right?
Anyway, that's not what I am here to write about (Anyone else hearing
Alice's Restaurant in their head?
"And we was fined $50 and had to pick up the garbage in the snow, but that's not what I came to tell you about. Came to talk about the draft." If you don't get the reference, go Youtube Alice's Restaurant right now by clicking
here.).
I came to write about making the workplace more family friendly. Here are four suggestions of ways our workforce could become more family friendly:
- Paid Maternity AND Paternity Leave: This is so important so that Dad can bond with the newborn, but also logistically at home, particularly if there is more than one child in the house. Caring for a newborn and other children after a Cesarean Section is even harder. It is really necessary to have help, and shouldn't that help be from Dad? It also allows fewer unfamiliar germs into the house. I know one thing I obsessed over when Baby was first born was Hubby washing, washing, and scrubbing his hands when he came home from work. This paid leave should also be guilt free. No pressure from higher ups about this being inconvenient.
- Childcare Provided: Not all employees would use it because of Stay At Home Parents (SAHP), a preference of a different childcare system, or the other parent using the childcare at their work facility. This would allow both parents to work (I know this is not an LDS principle, but many families really need both parents in the workforce), while keeping the children nearby. If the company is too small to arrange an actual child center of their own, they could provide other options with another facility. It could be worked out. I really believe this would solve so many of our poverty issues. An added bonus is job creation.
- A Nursing Mother's Room: it doesn't have to be over the top luxurious, but something private and quiet where a mother can pump every four hours. This will cut down on leave taken to care for a sick baby because breastfed babies are sick way less often than their formula fed counterparts. Breastfeeding also significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer, so that means fewer medical bills and less time away from work.
- Adjustable Hours: A work day could be from 7:00 AM until 9:00 PM, and workers could do whatever eight hour shift worked best for them and their family. That could even include taking a six hour break somewhere in the middle if she or he preferred it. That means less time taken away from work by appointments that can only be done during the day. It means many more parents would be able to help out with schools.
It is my belief that if we create a more family-friendly work environment, it would be easier to get back to those good old family centered values we're always hearing about while also creating equality and opportunity in the workforce. Can you think of more ways to make the workplace more family friendly?
*Did you know in Central and South American they call people from the USA "United Statians" because they consider themselves to be Americans as well? I think that's awesome.
