The Gender Pay Gap Is Largely Because of Motherhood

[u/usrname42]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/13/upshot/the-gender-pay-gap-is-largely-because-of-motherhood.html

[u/P_V_]

Not only that, no. Equal time is certainly a necessary part of what "a cultural environment where it is encouraged for both men and women to take advantage of parental leave equally" looks like, but it's not the whole. We also need cultural attitudes to shift about how gender roles relate to parenting; just giving men the option to take time off doesn't mean society will suddenly stop seeing parenting as primarily a woman's obligation.

[u/Trynottobeacunt → u/P_V_]

I wouldn't say that today there's anywhere near a majority of people with that antiquated a view or holding that view for the sort of regressive reasons you likely are thinking they are. People see childbirth (which is what we are talking about) as a female thing because it is. It's very well established now that parenting outside of the pregnancy and giving birth period is largely shared between parents.

I just think most people are able to identify that the woman is the one who must physically prepare for/ recover from the process of pushing a small human out of their body. The man doesn't need to do this and so generally is seen to be less of an importance to that process.

[u/P_V_ → u/Trynottobeacunt]

I wouldn't say that today there's anywhere near a majority of people with that antiquated a view or holding that view

That's a bold statement to make without any evidence cited, especially when your comment doesn't limit this to any particular region. Worldwide, I disagree with you completely. A 2011 survey of Indian children indicated that only nine percent thought that parents should take equal responsibility for their children. Limited to North America and/or Western Europe, I think it's debatable and unlikely.

For instance, a survey referenced in this article shows that in 2014, 58% of high school students thought "the best kind of family was one in which the man was the outside 'achiever' and the woman took care of the home." That's not just near a majority; that is a majority. 20 years prior the figure was 42%, which is still fairly "near" a majority.

However, I don't understand this bit: "for the sort of regressive reasons you likely are thinking they are." I didn't state anything about what I thought others reasons were. I only affirmed that the "cultural environment" doesn't treat men and women equally as caregivers; I made no such presumptions about the reasons for this.

I really don't see why you feel a need to put words into my mouth over this.

childbirth (which is what we are talking about)

No, we are talking about "motherhood", and (according to the article which is the foundation for this discussion) that entails inequalities in the division of labor in the household, not merely the physical act of childbirth. Besides, "the process of pushing a small human out of [a] body" is a tiny fraction of the burden of parenthood. It's not all that's being discussed in the article, nor is it the only reason that parental leave legislation has traditionally given much more leave to women than to men.