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Please stop assuming women with lower salaries are un- or under-educated
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Anonymous
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The spate of recent SAHM threads has yet again elicited several comments about "uneducated" or "undereducated" women who can't afford childcare on their low salaries, and who only had dead-end, non-career, unchallenging jobs they were dying to leave anyway. I understand that it may be difficult for lawyers and MBAs to understand, but not everyone chooses a career path based principally on money.
There are many, many careers that require master's degrees or doctorates and that are extremely intellectually challenging and rewarding, but that do not pay well at all in comparison to law firms or big corporations. These include college professors, research scientists, public policy workers, social workers, museum curators, librarians, teachers, health care providers, artists, and many more. In fact, all the schools and libraries and museums and nature centers and parks to which you love taking your children and which you profess to be the reason that living in DC is so fabulous are run by people (and predominantly women) with as much if not more education than you have, and with a passion for their interesting challenging careers, but making a fraction of your salary. I myself have a master's degree from the top school in my field, worked at one of the the most prestigious institutions in the world in my field, have 10 years of experience, am internationally known, and worked on fabulous, fascinating, high-profile projects, and yet when my twins were born I was making exactly $42, 196 per year. Yes, you read that right. And that's a pretty good salary for my field, although as you are no doubt aware complete inadequate to cover childcare for two at DC-area rates. Sure, it would be heaven on earth if our society financially rewarded cultural and intellectual and people-oriented work as much as law and business. But it doesn't, and most of us in these fields happily accepted less money for more interesting and fulfilling work. But when you call us uneducated, you are only betraying your own crass materialism and cultural ignorance. |
Anonymous
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Well said!!
I have a Bachelors degree in Education. Once I get enough money saved I hope to get my Masters. I graduated summa cum laude from college, and have an IQ of almost 140. I may only make 30,000 dollars a year but I'm not stupid or less of an intellectual than those who make 100,000 a year. Money does not equal intelligence, and people don't always get paid equal money for the amount of work or education needed for their job. |
Anonymous
| Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! Please let this post serve as my virtual standing ovation. I wanted to post something similar in response to those same threads, however, you did a much better job than I would have! |
zumbamama
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| You rock, OP! |
Anonymous
| I agree. I am a lawyer and I would be a lot happier, career-wise, if I had chosen to be a teacher instead. |
Anonymous
Interesting. But how could you really know that unless you've been a teacher? It's not as easy as it looks. |
Anonymous
| Well, I don't know it for sure, obviously. It's not that I think it would be easier, not at all... that's not what I'm going for. I just think it would be more interesting, more suited to my passions, more suited to my talents, and more fulfilling to me. |
Anonymous
| I am a lawyer and I would make a lot more money bartending or stripping for that matter. |
Anonymous
| And please stop assuming those of us with high salaries chose it only for the money. In my area, the hours that are sometimes required and the constant stress make any salary not enough unless you really love it and are good at it. People who choose my job for the money don't last long. |
Anonymous
Really? How much do you make? How much do strippers make? |
Anonymous
Who is assuming that, and where? |
Anonymous
I work for a small nonprofit. My work is grant based and I dont get paid much at all. Bartenders can make up to $1000 for two nights work. Strippers...who knows. I was making a point that even as a lawyer, you can make too little money to afford to SAHM. |
Anonymous
From the OP: I understand that it may be difficult for lawyers and MBAs to understand, but not everyone chooses a career path based principally on money. |
Anonymous
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Too bad most people here are so judgmental. Period. You would think successful, happy women (regardless of salary) would know better. |
Anonymous
Just curious - why not go back to school to become a teacher then? It sounds like that's what you really want to do! |