Reading Barbara Ehrenreich's and Ann Critenden's articles were very informative and educated me on the struggles that women still endure in the labor market and in domestic life. Ehrenreich's article discussed the issue of domestic work being attributed to women. I found it interesting when she stated that it was belief that housework was a relationship between a man and a woman. I attribute this belief and stereotype to the fact that women are often seen as inferior to men and that they are often viewed as being incapable to to the jobs that are assigned to men. Thus, they are forced into domestic life to clean and care for home and family.
Critenden's article discussed the financial burden that was placed on women who were housewives and mothers. Interestingly enough, I found it intriguing how the whole family was affected and not just women in particular. If a wife was to leave her job and take care of the children as a housewife, the whole family would lose a considerable amount of income-the mommy tax. This can have burdening effects of the financial future of families.
One thing that I wished both authors would have gone into further detail about is how all of this really affects women within socioeconomic statuses. They touched briefly on it, but I think that if there was a more in depth analysis, then lines of comparison could have been drawn and we could more clearly see how women, particularly of the lower and working classes, are heavily burdened with the responsibilities of being a mother and maid/housewife.
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Both of the articles Lee mentions were very interesting, but Critenden's article caught my attention more because of the statistics involved. I never would have thought having a child is so damaging to a woman's career. If a woman has a child it immediately hinders her earnings to around 60% to that of men with the same education. This is very striking to me and made me think about my plans to attend medical school. I know that woman have been able to have a child in residency and still become a doctor, but I would have to believe that it varies from program to program for how flexible they will be. Another thing that was striking, is the fact that most of the countries in Europe, offer paid time off and have rules to help protect woman. Why doesn't our country have some rules or provisions against companies? Critenden did mention that we do have a very favorable welfare program, so why can't that be adjust to include woman with children?
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts, Lee and Marissa. Lee, I think you're absolutely right: these issues multiply and intersect in extreme ways for women in lower socioeconomic classes, and the statistics don't always demonstrate how much more difficult it can be for these women. Let's definitely discuss this - and European social programs - in class today!
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