tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7571979529635305981.post299350490357068977..comments2023-06-01T00:49:56.824-07:00Comments on The Spice Choir: equal vs. differenceHeatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11528893270379032939noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7571979529635305981.post-44054319407241797122007-05-07T15:27:00.000-07:002007-05-07T15:27:00.000-07:00To muddle the issue further, I would suggest that ...To muddle the issue further, I would suggest that the equality vs. difference idea is a false dichotomy-- I wouldn't ascribe to either ideology. <BR/><BR/>While PREGNANCY is not a disability (without other complicating issues), RECOVERING FROM CHILDBIRTH generally is considered so-- which is why, under our current system of unpaid leave and scantly-paid disability leave, cesearean delivery gets you more time off than vaginal delivery. It's also the justification for adoptive parents getting no leave at all. (Though FMLA changes that a bit, if your company qualifies.)<BR/><BR/>About Europe: most commentaries seem to agree that sexism is simply more institutionalized and accepted; women of childbearing age have a harder time finding employment and understand their assignments will be less challenging/interesting after coming back from leave. (See-- for all its flaws!-- Perfect Madness, for one example.) <BR/><BR/>All of which suggests to me that an argument for family leave may need to be based on needs of children-- see the What Children Need article on the MMO, for example, on how infant mortality rates go down when children have one parental caregiver throughout the first year of life.<BR/><BR/>See why I never comment on these? When will you ever have time to read this COMMENT, let alone the references?!Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03986740100590184698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7571979529635305981.post-47311509076277962502007-05-03T13:30:00.000-07:002007-05-03T13:30:00.000-07:00Yes, I like the parental leave idea. Because it's ...Yes, I like the parental leave idea. Because it's about families, and not just about women.<BR/>So Corrie, I'm confused: would you call yourself more in the 'difference' or 'equality' camp? <BR/>It just bums me out that pregnancy leave is considered "disability". That just implies that there's something _wrong_ with you, a negative event that you have to take time away from work for. When in reality, parental leave is about both parents placing family as a priority over work. And the governement and work doing the same.<BR/>For a country that pays a lot of lip service to "family values" we don't back it up with much cultural clout, at all.Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11528893270379032939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7571979529635305981.post-18724876600379863812007-04-30T23:54:00.000-07:002007-04-30T23:54:00.000-07:00Well, we could solve the problem by having "Patent...Well, we could solve the problem by having "Patental Leave" for all parents, like they do in Europe and Canada. The US has “the most family-hostile public policy in the Western world.” See what it's like in other parts of the world, especially Bulgaria! <A HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/PARENTAL_LEAVE><BR/>Parental Leave</A> <BR/><BR/>Egalitarians advocate "equality", but they do not deny biological differences (being female is a fact of sexual biology). Being "feminine" on the other hand is a cultural concept that changes depending on when and where you live. A hundred years ago in this country, for example, female violinists were encouraged to switch to a more "ladylike" activity like singing. <BR/><BR/>I can't remember what book it was (if I find it, I'll share it), but I remember reading about how this kind of "treat everyone the same" feminism is not feminism at all. Under the banner of equality, "masculine" becomes the ideal, and women have to squash their female sex into the form of "male" in order to be 'equal'. That doesn't help anybody.<BR/><BR/>I think you can solve the labeling issue by offering "parental leave" for mothers AND fathers.Corriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06016289401560746165noreply@blogger.com