Reflection Journal # 4

Why is the U.S. ALWAYS in the lead of being behind...??

After watching our presentation and hearing about European countries and their support for children as well as the encouraging of paternal leave I think it is safe to say that most of us women thought to ourselves, where can I find a European man, preferably Swedish? I think it is so awesome that not only is there a high value placed on children, but that men are extremely engaged in the crucial years of their children’s life. How is it that the United States, ‘land of the free’ and opportunities for all, has the highest percentage of children in poverty? What an oxymoron! Furthermore, it is quite obvious that our "family friendly policies" suck (compared to other countries), and yet little has been done to amend them.

  
I did further investigation into European Countries and their family friendly policies and it is pretty amazing. The United States, along with Lesotho, Swaziland, and Papua New Guinea (not sure I've ever even heard of these places), are the only countries that do not mandate paid maternity leave. (Huffington Post, 2014) The Huffington Post presents a pretty interesting graph depicting where other countries stand as it pertains to paternity and maternity leave around the world. We have countries like South Korea, to my surprise, allowing 90 days of paternity leave and 100 percent pay. The U.K., which in my eyes is definitely the “model country”, provides 280 days of both maternity and paternity leave with up to 90 percent of pay. While the U.S. sits in the middle of the chart with 0 days of pay. Even Australia, who lingered in the same category as the U.S. for a while, made moves in 2011 when they introduced their first national Paid Parental leave scheme!

However, there may be SOME hope. The article goes on to discuss the “Top States For New Dads”. States were rated and given points based on their family friendly policies to new dads. Washington D.C. (although not really a state) rated number 1 with 70 points (I wonder if being the capital of the country has anything to do with this??). Nonetheless, “D.C.’s laws include six of seven possible policies to help new fathers and mothers by expanding FMLA access to workers in smaller businesses and those with less time on the job and offering a longer period of FMLA leave. [They] also enacted the nation’s second paid sick leave law.” (Huffington Post, 2013) Connecticut, New Jersey, and California ranked as 2,3, and 4 on the list. Out of the 15 states that were mentioned, Kentucky came in last receiving 10 points.The Graph below provides more information on these states as well as top companies that offer paternity leave.

In a Wall Street Journal article, they discuss that recently firms and companies are allowing fathers to take paternity leave—this is progress. However, men have been reluctant to take the time off due to the fears of “losing status at work [and] lingering stereotypes about a father's role in the family.” (Weber, 2013) There is a stigma given to fathers who would choose to be home during the early years of their children (a.k.a. playing an active role in their life). This is far from the Swedish mentality depicted in the video we watched last class. However, it is not a lack of interest that causes men to not want to take paternity leave it is the idea of not wanting to let their team down or be viewed as distracted or less dedicated to work. (Weber, 2013) Ironically, women face similar challenges. In a Facebook survey on the Wall Street Journal page their results showed a divide on thoughts regarding paternity leave, “young fathers see leave as more essential, while older workers say it carries a stigma at their workplaces.” (Weber, 2013) This can be viewed as a good thing for future generations. Even more promising, is that “Sixty percent of fathers in dual-earner couples reported feeling conflict between work and family responsibilities in 2008, compared with 35% who felt that way in 1977, according to the Families and Work Institute.” (Weber, 2013) It seems as though men are beginning to feel the pressures that women have been feeling for generations. Although it is not quite on par with the difficulties women face, I think it is safe to say that men are slowly being affected. It may take a while for American dads to be like Swedish dads, mainly because our policies still don't compare, but it is quite possible that generations down the road hopefully when policies are better, we may see more men taking paternity leave. It would be nice to see a bunch of happy fathers on a playground running around after kids at 12 o'clock in the afternoon. :)


No Author. (2013) Paid Paternal Leave: U.S. vs The World (Infographic). The Huffington Post: Parents. Retrieved on 25 February 2014 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/maternity-leave-paid-parental-leave-_n_2617284.html#slide=862697

Weber, L. (2013) Why Dads Don't Take Paternity Leave. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 25 February 2014 from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324049504578541633708283670

Reflection 3

 School over Careers..... For the time being...

As I listened to Dr. Caraballo’s lecture, one of the things that came to mind was how would it have been if her husband was the one who decided to quit working and go to school full time? Would it have been as difficult family wise, leaving the burden on her to take care of the kids or would he have been content with quitting his job and forcing his wife to be the breadwinner of the family? I commend Dr. Caraballo for her decisions and on her achievements. I know that finances can put a huge strain on relationships, especially in marriages. I can only imagine the difficulties that followed her decision; but in the end it all seemed worth it. 

As I browsed the web about the topic of women quitting jobs to pursue educational dreams I came across an article in the NY Times titled, “Instead of Work, Younger Women Head to School”. In the article they discuss the fact that women now dominate the scholarly arena, a topic that we have mentioned in one of our previous classes. More and more women are dropping out of the labor force to become better educated although “women still earn significantly less than men.” (Rampell, 2011) Catherine Rampell quotes that, “as women we feel like we have to be more educated to be able to compete in really any field.” (2011) It has been noticed that men are going back to school as well, especially since the economic crisis, however, “In the last two years, the number of women ages 18 to 24 in school rose by 130,000, compared with a gain of 53,000 for young men.” (Rampell, 2011) Jobs in the market place have become less appealing to women and so, they see furthering their education as a better alternative; on the other hand most men are still willing to take these jobs. Director of the Council on Contemporary Families, Stephanie Coontz, mentions that there still lingers a heavy cultural message “that men should be out there earning money and supporting themselves, and they feel more distressed by losing their breadwinner role.” (Rampell, 2011) Therefore they are willing to take the inflexible night shift and weekend jobs that most women deny. According to studies, in the coming decade, women will have an advantage over their male counterparts as it pertains to their educational credentials. This could possibly help the move towards more women in higher paying positions; however, it is still questionable if this will lead to salary gap shrinkages between men and women. 

So as it seems, Dr. Caraballo is not alone when it comes to making the move out of the labor force and into the academic arena. It is obvious that this can be a difficult move, especially when one has a family to support. However, for the younger generations this seems to be the new and more popular route and at this age, much easier. Before families or careers even enter the picture, women are focused on furthering their education, knowing how essential it is living in male dominated workforce. It is good to know that women value their education and understand how important it is to advancing their careers. 

Rampell, C. (2011). Instead of Work, Younger Women Head to School. NY Times. Retrieved on 04 February 2014 from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/business/young-women-go-back-to-school-instead-of-work.html?_r=1&