Let me try framing it another way. Consider two women, one who chooses not to have a child and one who does, sacrificing some of her work productivity in the process.
Couldn’t one say that the latter, sacrificed some of her pay in order to raise the child? Of course I’d argue the same for the father, if he sacrificed productivity as well (and if he didn’t he’s probably not a great father).
There are some places in Europe where practically entire towns will take a month off for vacation. Stores close, people travel, and it’s normal. Bosses don’t come down on employees about it, it’s part of the culture to have a work-life balance. Add up those months over the course of a lifetime, and that’s a lot more “time off” than the mere weeks some women get in the US for maternity leave (if we’re lucky enough to have a job that allows for it.)
I understand that time off can lead to “lost productivity,” but that misses the point. The point is that a culture that prioritizes “productivity at all times” has it backwards. There’s so much more to life than working. A month off here or there doesn’t make the world stop spinning. If the culture at large respected the need for work-life balance, this wouldn’t be an issue at all.
There’s nothing wrong with work-life balance. But those who work more should be paid more right? If you want to take more time off, for personal reasons or to care for your child, then there’s no shame in taking a pay cut to do so. Or simply moving to a job that is lower salary but more flexible. Your life doesn’t have to revolve around work and money. But likewise, somebody else might want to work more, and it feels normal for them to get paid more too.
And I’m not asking us to move back to when 80 hour work weeks were the norm, I think you can still get good work-life balance with 40 hour work weeks.
Let me try framing it another way. Consider two women, one who chooses not to have a child and one who does, sacrificing some of her work productivity in the process.
Couldn’t one say that the latter, sacrificed some of her pay in order to raise the child? Of course I’d argue the same for the father, if he sacrificed productivity as well (and if he didn’t he’s probably not a great father).
There are some places in Europe where practically entire towns will take a month off for vacation. Stores close, people travel, and it’s normal. Bosses don’t come down on employees about it, it’s part of the culture to have a work-life balance. Add up those months over the course of a lifetime, and that’s a lot more “time off” than the mere weeks some women get in the US for maternity leave (if we’re lucky enough to have a job that allows for it.)
I understand that time off can lead to “lost productivity,” but that misses the point. The point is that a culture that prioritizes “productivity at all times” has it backwards. There’s so much more to life than working. A month off here or there doesn’t make the world stop spinning. If the culture at large respected the need for work-life balance, this wouldn’t be an issue at all.
There’s nothing wrong with work-life balance. But those who work more should be paid more right? If you want to take more time off, for personal reasons or to care for your child, then there’s no shame in taking a pay cut to do so. Or simply moving to a job that is lower salary but more flexible. Your life doesn’t have to revolve around work and money. But likewise, somebody else might want to work more, and it feels normal for them to get paid more too.
And I’m not asking us to move back to when 80 hour work weeks were the norm, I think you can still get good work-life balance with 40 hour work weeks.