The value of a mother!!!!

Following along the lines of the discussion in ed and career:

I think that mothering should receive more support from society. It's a shame that the general perceptionsby society tend to favor working moms. Wouldn't it be nice if the years that we stay home the govt. paid into our social security funds as if we were working? How about school loan repayment programs? I say that if you stay at home with your children to raise them, that your own education should be free

Anyone else want to jump on the bandwagon?

I don't know that I agree about the Social Security part, but man oh man, do I agree that mothers need to get more respect in society as a whole! I think the free education idea is excellent, personally. I also think that families who have full-time moms need to have huge tax breaks (in recognition that the mother is doing society a service). Unfortunately, businesses and employers in our society pretty much expect every family to have two incomes - not recognizing that motherhood is a non-monetary career.

Jennifer

At the end of the day if you don't pay into social security, you don't have the same benefits. The jobs that SAHMs do is at least as important as the mom who is working at McDonalds, etc....ony she's paying into the system and we aren't. I think it would be a superb message to mothers everywhere to have the govt. say that although mothering can't bring any monetary rewards that at least the years we spend mothering will be counted towards our retirement....

With more perks to motherhood, perhaps society in general would view it with more respect?

Did you know that in the state of PA you have to pay an annual tax to BE a stay-at-home mom!!! It's only around $20...but STILL!

Kris

No way! You pay taxes to take care of your own kids full-time in PA!?! That is outrageous! How does that work exactly? Do they just tax everyone who doesn't have a 40 hour week? I think my problems with the Social Security idea you had are more to do with Social Security as an institution than anything else. I have issues with that system and I just want to stay away from it as much as I posiibly can at this point in life. I've had grandparents who got Social Security and it ain't much. BTW: interesting note: I never changed my name for legal purposes when I got married so when we do taxes and stuff I have to use my maiden name! I kind of like it that way - is that weird? OK, that was a tangent, but seriously I think I'm going to pop about the PA tax thing! Sometimes I feel like I'm going to become a libertarian like my dad....

Jennifer

Seriously, it really turned me off. It was a small amount of money...but it was just the very IDEA that they had a "housewife" tax. If I remember correctly, we received an annual tax bill for Thomas who was taxed a flat fee of $400 annually (on top of regular state and federal taxes) to be a resident ...and I received mine for $20 or $25 for being a "housewife". When I got a part-time evening job I had to pay $15 in a new tax to "start" employment after being a housewife !!!

PA is SCREWY!

I understand what you are saying about social security....I worry a lot about our retirement and what will be available when we are older.......

Hey...I voted green this last time around !

Kris

[houseelf]

I have to jump in on this one. Jennifer, like you, my dh and I aren't counting on getting squat from social security. Kris, I completely agree with you on this proposition. Raising children merits retirement and benefits more than any other ob. Why aren't SAHM eligible for this? Regardless of the inherent problems of the national entitlement systems, the fact that SAHMs are not equally entitled to these benefits bespeaks of our society's devaluation of motherhood. This system is so screwy!

Oh, and for the record, I've jumped across the political aisle since becoming a mother.

Kelly

Kelly

Well, perhaps the thing is to view motherhood as a career - which it is. It would be an "unconventional" career in that you are paid in emotional and societal rewards rather than monetary ones. However, I like thinking of myself as a career mother - it acknowledges that I have a job and I do some pretty darned hard work, that I have an investment in doing well at my job, and that I have long-term commitment to it. I suppose, in that case Social Security benefits would apply, however, how would you pay taxes? We all abhor what PA is doing "taxing" full-time mothers. So, perhaps a better idea would be to provide tax relief to single income families with two parents, require mothers to be viewed as "child-care providers" by employers and schools (such as medical school) who compensate for some child-care expenses, and in general, provide other rewards and incentives for mothers to be able to care for their charges - employee incentives if you will . But seriously, the fact is society does not view motherhood as important - after all studies have been done attempting to prove that a child in daycare does just as well in life as a child with his/her mother during the day. Until attitudes like that are erased, motherhood will be viewed as something easily replaced, a relic of the past, a burden to women, and generally an unnecessary part of society.
Rant over. I shall now get me to bed.

Jennifer