Reply to If you are a working mom, why?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Reflecting on the mommy wars:

- Most women don’t have a choice. They work because they need the money, or they stay home because daycare is too expensive/complicated. It’s not a real choice.

- SAHM who bash WOHM still rely on WOHMs in a major way.

- WOHM who bash SAHM think it’s fine to be a childcare professional as long as you get a W2. It’s low status to watch your own children yet it’s fine to watch their children.

- It’s nearly impossible to find a part time professional job that pays enough to be profitable after childcare. A lot of judgment might end if more part time work and part time children was available. Not everyone can work from home.

[/quote]

A good summary. And regarding your last point, I actually found an amazing part-time job that pays enough for me to afford childcare -- I work for a woman-owned company that genuinely supports women and all parents. But it's hard to find part-time care! Daycares are very in demand where I live and they have no incentive to offer part-time seats because it's so much easier to just fill all their spots with full-time families. And most nannies prefer FT gigs for obvious reasons. I was super fortunate to find my job but until my DC was in school, childcare was a constant source of stress as we went through a series of nanny shares and part-time sitters/nannies -- things would be stable for about 6 months at a time and then the sitter would graduate from school, or the other family in the share would decide they wanted a full-time partner.

I share this because it illustrates how hard the balance is. Everyone is just trying to make the financial side work while also doing what is right for their kids, and for them. And that includes childcare workers, many of whom have kids or other family obligations. And it's extra hard in the US where there is so little cultural respect or appreciation for the work of raising children. That hurts working moms, SAHMs, and childcare workers. It also hurts men! Who often feel they have no choices at all. The more we value childcare for it's inherent value and the social contribution it makes, the better it is for all involved. [/quote]

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