Mothers continually tell me they feel trapped. They feel much like their mothers: slaves to their homes, their children and their husbands. Many modern men feel this as well when they choose to stay home with their children. What women and men do not realize is that we (as a society) have simply accepted a traditional family system that fails those who wish to raise children (mostly women). If we really wanted mothers and fathers to have real career choices, be happy and also raise children we could do it very simply. Here is my solution:
- Pay parents to have children (think Baby Bonus or income splitting)
- Provide free or inexpensive child care (Quebec provides universal $7 a day child care)
- Don’t tolerate job discrimination against parents
- Make it easy for parents to find jobs that pay well
- Ensure high paying part-time jobs are available
At least it’s a st
art. Then later if we have time we can deal with deep-rooted prejudices and discrimination.