Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Science and housework
This is an interesting article about female scientists and housework. While I can't agree with the qualification of housework as "taking away" time from life, I can sympathize with the plight of a busy professional who can't seem to find enough time in the day to balance work inside and outside the house. My take on the issue is that if you don't have enough time to uphold the basic activities that maintain your human dignity (cooking, eating, cleaning your house, being with your family), then maybe it's time to consider giving up some other activities instead of buying into a social system that says it's okay to pay someone a paltry wage to do your shit for you. But I have the luck that my wife's income is enough to sustain our household, and that I can manage housework around my schedule.
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I tend to agree, but the devil's advocate in me wants to argue a few points anyway:
ReplyDelete1) Singles, Marriages or partnerships w/children where the single or both partners work, out of economic necessity. Perhaps there is no extended family where these people are living, so a nanny or babysitter becomes necessary since paying a nanny ends up costing less than what either partner makes at their job. Obviously, if someone is a single parent they HAVE to work.
2) Or even if there IS extended family that helps the parent or parents out, usually these family members end up 'chipping in' around the house at no cost, instead of for a 'paltry' wage. (Think of the grandmother that mops or sweeps the floors to help you out...)
3) Who determines what is considered a 'paltry' wage? Should a babysitter make more or less than $12/hour? Would $12/hour be significantly more than they would be making in their own country?
4) It seems to me that in some situations every party benefits. Lets say a married woman whose husband also works is given the option of quitting her $50,000/year job and staying at home with her pre-kindergarten children or paying a babysitter. If she stays at home, she will not be earning that $60,000 and the government will not get roughly 25% of that in taxes ($12,500). $12,500 that could be used to fund improvements to city infrastructure, public schools, foodbanks, etc. Also, the babysitter would not have a job and thus would also not be earning wages (say, $24,000 annually) that would be taxed (say, $3,600) and used for public improvements.