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It is a bit depressing, isn't it? I read somewhere this week that some Scandinavian countries introduced paid maternity leave schemes in the nineteenth century?! It would be fantastic if we could look to Scandinavian models for inspiration (rather than the terrible US model), particularly in relation to the introduction of things like parental leave. How wonderful would it be if our society actively encouraged and supported, not just parenting, but parenting as shared responsibility between partners, rather than assuming that having one primary carer was the way to raise children? And in the case of single-parent families, being able to recognise the circumstances which often make such an arrangement challenging, and offering the appropriate support. Actually, as someone raised by her mother alone, I'm still completely in awe of how she was able do this with such meagre assistance.
I feel so lucky to be able to access thirteen weeks of paid maternity leave (tertiary education sector), but the fact that so many women aren't entitled to this makes me quite angry. Now it seems given the worldwide financial crisis, the current government's plan to make paid maternity leave a priority will be pushed aside for who knows how long. I was talking to a friend about this the other day, and they were wondering how different Australian society would be if the majority of politicians and policy-makers were women and not men. It's an interesting thought...
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interesting would be putting it midly
