Blog Nine
Dear President-Elect Obama,
It's time for you to show that you mean to bring change to society. No longer must the social "norms" placed upon us be the only way from now on. In a country, where less than 20 of the CEOs of the 500 companies that make up the Fortune 500 and less than 15 that are headed by women, it's time to make a change.
No longer should the ability to pay deter someone from attending an institute of Higher Education. Though there are programs such as Federal Loans and Pell Grants for those who afford to pay for College studies, it's still hard for many attendees to keep up with constant tuition hikes, which serve to decrease the money-making value of a degree, while at the same time making it still necessary to obtain a college degree in order to perform higher positions in society. For women with children, this can become even harder.
However, obtaining a college degree is not enough for some. Once individuals of minority background enter the workforce, they often find that they are paid less than a person who is of the stereotypical white male class. For these individuals, the hard work that may have gone into obtaining a degree may have been further lessened. Furthermore, the amount of time allotted for time off in this country is often much less than is needed to raise a child. Maternity leave is hit or miss. Many companies do not offer paid maternity leave, which can force some women to reenter the workforce well before they may be ready, leaving the child to the care of others at expense to themselves.
For those mother who can't make this transition while still caring for their child, there may be consequences related to how these women are raising their children. Poorer mothers may be unable to obtain care for their children, so they may be forced to leave children home by themselves. In the eyes of society, this can constitute neglect and the child could be taken away, regardless of the mother's abilities as a parent.
What needs to be put in place is paid maternity leave laws that are generous enough to allow women to remain above what is needed to care for their children. Groups such as Moms Rising are already advocating for such laws to be put in place. However, until then, these mothers have to sacrifice either the care of their children or their job and livelihood just to stay afloat, and this is just plain wrong.