More babies requested
Sep. 23rd, 2003 09:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lathanyA Tory MP (Shadow work and pensions secretary David Willetts) is trying to persuade the British adult population to have more children.
See the BBC News Website for details.
I'm going to be interested to see what things he thinks should appear in the suggested "family-friendly policy" (assuming he is not merely trying to persuade someone else to come up with one for him).
From my own viewpoint, there are a huge number of off-putting factors that are going to require big changes before women are more inclined to sprog (or sprog more) :
* The cost
* The lack of child carers and nannies (a problem I'll face when I eventually go back)
* The dent it puts in the woman's career (even if you aren't sacked whilst on maternity leave, you'll probably miss all sorts of career and promotion opportunities)
* The lack of allowance made by most workplaces for flexible working hours and the like
* The fact that society still regards children as entirely the woman's duty
* The fact that a large chunk of the medical profession (nurses more than doctors) still regards children as entirely the woman's duty (eg. I got completely sick of the local hospital laying into me for not being there all hours whilst praising![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bateleur for turning up most evenings)
* Some attitudes towards pregnant women (one of my books called it the "pregnancy police" - namely those people who will pop up all over the place and tell you what you should and shouldn't do during pregnancy)
* The lack of care for mothers after birth (eg. the three day baby blues and post natal depression), all attention goes on the baby
* attitudes towards breast feeding (if you can't/don't do it, then you're a self-centred half-human)
* etc. (eg. the disposable nappy war, attendance at school outings)
Many of these problems affect men as well of course, but I feel that it is the women who mainly get the short straw when it comes to children.
And, no, I'm not having any more.
See the BBC News Website for details.
I'm going to be interested to see what things he thinks should appear in the suggested "family-friendly policy" (assuming he is not merely trying to persuade someone else to come up with one for him).
From my own viewpoint, there are a huge number of off-putting factors that are going to require big changes before women are more inclined to sprog (or sprog more) :
* The cost
* The lack of child carers and nannies (a problem I'll face when I eventually go back)
* The dent it puts in the woman's career (even if you aren't sacked whilst on maternity leave, you'll probably miss all sorts of career and promotion opportunities)
* The lack of allowance made by most workplaces for flexible working hours and the like
* The fact that society still regards children as entirely the woman's duty
* The fact that a large chunk of the medical profession (nurses more than doctors) still regards children as entirely the woman's duty (eg. I got completely sick of the local hospital laying into me for not being there all hours whilst praising
bateleur for turning up most evenings)* Some attitudes towards pregnant women (one of my books called it the "pregnancy police" - namely those people who will pop up all over the place and tell you what you should and shouldn't do during pregnancy)
* The lack of care for mothers after birth (eg. the three day baby blues and post natal depression), all attention goes on the baby
* attitudes towards breast feeding (if you can't/don't do it, then you're a self-centred half-human)
* etc. (eg. the disposable nappy war, attendance at school outings)
Many of these problems affect men as well of course, but I feel that it is the women who mainly get the short straw when it comes to children.
And, no, I'm not having any more.
no subject
Date: 2003-09-23 03:41 am (UTC)That's terrible! I had no idea they were that bad.
For myself, I never thought other people's opinions would put me off having children, but I'm already noticing with wedding organisation that everyone has an opinion they want to share, and with some people, even if their opinion is one I agree with, I automatically argue. It's bad enough with a wedding, but it could cause huge problems if it's someone else's life I'm being contrary with ;-(
no subject
Date: 2003-09-23 05:05 am (UTC)Hence a two hour journey each way consisting of either three buses or two buses and a mile-and-a-half walk (which I preferred). Usually I would go in early afternoon and
It was mostly caused by the chronic NHS under-staffing - they wanted mothers in Special Care as much as possible to deal with the low level duties (feeding, nappy changing, bathing). And yet another whinge of mine is I would have been happier had they said it outright, instead of making a lot of sh*t statements about how the twins needed it to be me (they didn't).
no subject
Date: 2003-09-23 05:18 am (UTC);-)
You wait until you reach the bit where someone explains that you can't have a wedding cake decorated in that colour 'cos it will clash with your dress/bouquet/mother's hat/etc.
no subject
Date: 2003-09-23 05:33 am (UTC)It's when they start telling me I 'must' do something I want to do that I tie myself in knots ;-)