General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: This message was self-deleted by its author [View all]RainDog
(28,784 posts)But the reason for the calculations is because of the way work is perceived.
In Europe, for instance, families are paid a stipend when they have children, all families, no matter their income, to offset the cost of child care and to help with the expense of raising a child because, yes, it does take a village. It's ridiculous that women have so little support, both financially and culturally, for bearing and, stereotypically, being the chief caretakers of children.
It's work. As you know, and esp, you know since both you and I have autistic children - who often really impact the entire scope and spectrum of the idea of raising a child to take her or his place as an adult in society.
Our society claims it loves its children, but does not act in ways that support that claim.
There's no real way to substitute for actual time spent in a job, as far as advancement - so that's one of those things people have to realistically account for when they have children. Everyone makes compromises in life based upon where they are.
But all women who have children do not automatically fit into one stereotype or another about their goals in life for the long term - and this more mobile sort of interaction with work is something that needs to be considered too, in our society, if we want to treat people as humans not work cogs.
Some women and men have enough combined income to pay for things that would traditionally be additional responsibilities of one partner or the other - and then you get into the idea of the exploitation of the working class so that one set of jobs makes such possible while others do not.
Anyway, the reason I mentioned this in the first place was to note that women who are married to men who make a lot of money, but they don't, have their own motivations for voting republican - to validate their position and decisions - but you could also wonder if those men don't select women who are not going to expect equality either, as a condition of their relationship.
Marriages have power struggles too, and women could be considered "labor" in this dynamic, imo.
The unpaid work of women has been devalued since forever. I'm not talking about the division of labor for tasks that are part of home life - I mean the task of creating the next generation of voters.
This reality is another reason I support the idea of a basic minimum income - to acknowledge that being a parent in our society is also work.