As it seems my blog is back to normal, and went over to socialpapers. My blog was temporarily suspended and now it’s back up and (to my surprise) running. I’m trying to decide whether I want to blog here or over at my other blog. Anywho, I’m trying to work up the nerve to blog again.
Here’s another piece from the New York Times by Katie Roiphe titled In Defense of Single Motherhood. I suppose the reason why this stood out to me is while I’m not a single mother I am the product of the single mother household. I agreed with some of the points
Katie has made, basically that single mothers aren’t all the same. I’m sure most of us can agree on that. However, I think it’s important to look at the reality that many single mothers face. According to the United States Census single mothers are more likely to be in poverty. Single mothers are also more likely to work in low wage jobs. Again, this isn’t to say there aren’t exceptions to the rule. This is just merely pointing out the reality.
*I’m specifically talking about never married single mothers, just FYI.*
Why is this the case?
Well for starters, it doesn’t a social scientist to see that duel income house-holds (especially if they’re married, but we’ll get to that) provide greater financial stability. Especially if both parents are high earners.
On the issue of marriage, well again, marriage provides a certain set of financial benefits (which proves how marriage is also an economic institution). Of course single mothers don’t have access to these benefits, thus must rely on social safety nets.
So does this mean marriage is the solution? No it doesn’t, especially considering how complex the issue is. Social conservatives and liberals alike have asked why do these women have children when they know they can’t support? Let’s begin by examining several issues.
On the surface, it’s very easy to fall into the “these women are just irresponsible sluts who can’t keep their legs closed” trap. Or for women of color (particularly African American women) the mythical “welfare queen” who just keeps having children so she can milk the system. This view is mostly held by social conservatives. However, with many liberals they’re quick to take the view that these women just need better access to birth control, abortion services and just have better safety nets. While I tend to lean toward the liberal view, it’s also doesn’t really consider the reality of the situation.
Okay so why are low income women choosing to have children instead of getting married? Even though many them are aware of their economic circumstances?
There’s no question that many cultures hold motherhood to the highest esteem. The United States is no different in this regard. Consider this, you’re a poor single woman who lives in a low income neighborhood. High paying jobs are beyond reach and as far as romantic partners go, you’re probably going to have to take what you can get. There’s no hope for pursuing higher education, you feel it’s something you won’t be able to pursue. Essentially, you feel you’re future is bleak. But around you, you see women your age having babies. They’re respected in your community. They’re looked upon as being mature women, they’re highly respected and thus are viewed as “real women.”
It starts to make sense why these women choose to have children. They find redemption in motherhood. It’s what gives them purpose. Growing up in neighborhoods where teen girls were having babies (though it didn’t make any sense to me at the time) their justifications for it was “I want someone to love me. I want someone to depend on me, etc.” Now, it makes sense. The book titled Promises I Can Keep goes more into depth with this issue.
This is the reality for many low income single women, if you feel careers and higher education are unattainable, but motherhood isn’t it, you’re going to choose the attainable goal. Many will argue and dismiss this as low income women making stupid decisions, because having children when you’re in poverty will more likely keep you there. This criticism misses the point, these women aren’t expecting to get out of poverty. These women believe (most likely even before they choose to have children) their socioeconomic situation won’t change. So there you have it.
Some recommended links.
Only 16 days after the horrific shooting in Colorado, an ex-army white supremacist male opened fire in a Sikh Gurdwara in Wisconsin and killed six people. Aside from having another "and they call me barbarian" moment, my deepest thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. I pray that God gives them all the strength needed to heal through this difficult time.
Remember this scene from "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991)*? After witnessing Robin deliberately lie to his own English folk about the number of enemies approaching them, the North African Muslim character Azeem reflects to himself and says, "And they call me barbarian." Here's the clip for those who haven't seen it or need their memories refreshed:
Yeah, that's my reaction whenever white non-Muslims like…
I’m finally able to post something interesting, especially since I have more free time now. :)
The NYT came out with an article recently (yes I know I’m late on this) about how men are now entering female dominated fields. I suppose this shouldn’t come as a surprise, with the way the American economy is, many male dominated fields (i.e. IT, construction, etc.) are much more difficult to come by. One thing I’ve always learned from my mother (who is a Certified Nursing Assistant) is that people will always get sick and there will always be jobs in healthcare. Anyways, I’m going highlight some interesting points in the article.
It begins with a young 21 high school graduate who found a job as a dental assistant.
“The way I look at it,” Mr. Alquicira explained, without a hint of awareness that he was turning the tables on a time-honored feminist creed, “is that anything, basically, that a woman can do, a guy can do.”
This part raised a couple of questions for me. Are men entering these purely because jobs in male dominated areas are lacking or do younger men feel comfortable enough to enter into female dominated areas, because our culture has finally recognized that men can also do these jobs?
I have to admit, I was walking around campus at my former university recently and notice around the nursing school there was a significant amount of male students. Although this is purely anecdotal, I also remember speaking to a young man on the bus one day as he discussed entering into nursing, but later on went into restaurant management. His reasoning however was that the nursing was too depressing. I remember his words “I like taking of people, but I like seeing people smile.”
To the extent that the shift to “women’s work” has been accelerated by recession, the change may reverse when the economy recovers. “Are boys today saying, ‘I want to grow up and be a nurse?’ ” asked Heather Boushey, senior economist at the Center for American Progress. “Or are they saying, ‘I want a job that’s stable and recession proof?’ ”
This is a very good question. As I pointed above, do some men feel comfortable enough enter into these fields because of changing gender roles? The article points out that this could very well be the case.
In interviews, however, about two dozen men played down the economic considerations, saying that the stigma associated with choosing such jobs had faded, and that the jobs were appealing not just because they offered stable employment, but because they were more satisfying.
Hmmmmm…..
“I.T. is just killing viruses and clearing paper jams all day,” said Scott Kearney, 43, who tried information technology and other fields before becoming a nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.
So not only are some men entering these fields because they offer stable employment and don’t feel constrained by traditional gender roles, they’re actually finding the work fulfilling.
But now it’s time to ask more difficult questions, the article goes on to discuss that men earn more in these fields and they move up a lot quicker.
“Simply because higher-educated men are entering these jobs does not mean that it will result in equality in our workplaces,” said Ms. Gatta of Wider Opportunities for Women.
This qoute raises more questions, since men are entering these fields more often, will they be held in high esteem? Will men on average still make more than women, even in jobs traditionally held by women? These are just questions one can mull over.
What I found most interesting is another reason why these men are entering into these fields is because it allows them more flexibility so they’re able to spend time with their families.
Overall, I think it’s good there are more men feel comfortable enough to enter these fields because they find the work fulfilling, but I don’t want to celebrate just yet.
For those of you who read my blog, I haven’t posted much because of my new job. The hours are the typical 9-5 but between my new job and volunteer work, I haven’t found much time to do any research for posts. Since working, I’ve come to see how much I miss the academic world. But I do need the break from it.
Last month, they celebrated their most recent victory when they were allowed for the first time to register to vote identifying themselves as a third sex — transgender. In the past, state-issued identification cards listed individuals only as male or female.
I have written about when I first started this blog. But with all the political issues occurring in Pakistan right now, it’s nice to receive some good news. But there’s still a lot of work to be done.
