Generous Parental Leave Policies Don't Help Women Get Ahead In Business -- Quite The Contrary
Unintended consequences alert: What if everything feminists want for women will set women back (in terms of how feminists see "back" -- women staying home with children) in business?
Very interesting piece by Christina Hoff Sommers at HuffPo on how American businesswomen are achieving beyond their Swedish counterparts -- women with exceptionally generous parental leave policies:
Generous parental leave policies and readily available part-time options have unintended consequences: instead of strengthening women's attachment to the workplace, they appear to weaken it. In addition to a 16-month leave, a Swedish parent has the right to work six hours a day (for a reduced salary) until his or her child is 8 years old. Mothers are far more likely than fathers to take advantage of this law. But extended leaves and part-time employment are known to be harmful to careers -- for both genders. And with women, a second factor comes into play: most seem to enjoy the flex-time arrangement (once known as the "mommy track") and never find their way back to full-time or high-level employment. In sum: Generous family-friendly policies do keep more women in the labor market, but they also tend to diminish their careers.According to Blau and Kahn, Swedish-style paternal leave policies and flex-time arrangements pose a second threat to women's progress: they make employers wary of hiring women for full-time positions at all. Offering a job to a man is the safer bet. He is far less likely to take a year of parental leave and then return on a reduced work schedule for the next eight years.
I became aware of the trials of career-focused European women a few years ago when I met a post-doctoral student from Germany who was then a visiting fellow at Johns Hopkins. She was astonished by the professional possibilities afforded to young American women. Her best hope in Germany was a government job -- prospects for women in the private sector were dim. "In Germany," she told me, "we have all the benefits, but employers don't want to hire us."
How do things break down in terms of women vs. men?
When the Pew Research Center recently asked American parents to identify their "ideal" life arrangement, 47 percent of mothers said they would prefer to work part-time and 20 percent said they would prefer not to work at all. Fathers answered differently: 75 percent preferred full-time work.
via @sexyisntsexist
Feminists already have this one solved. "Just pay men less."
Matt at November 5, 2014 7:16 AM
this is why in Sweden, they are trying to get men to take more leave... to balance the lowest common denominator, which is that everyone works less.
Essentially forcing by stealth, business to accept lesser work from their employees, because they can't find candidates that will work more.
Leastwise that's my guess of this utopian vision thing... obviously it won't work, unless the government start punishing... forcing men to work less so that they will be equals... essentially cutting off their legs so they can't run so fast.
It's a completely bass-ackwards way to think about family units, but when you don't really believe in family units... I suppose it's much easier.
The unintended consequence is higher tho.
The real question is, are these part Swedish women HAPPY? That Pew research center poll would seem to indicate that the very IDEA of a career means different things to males and females, which makes sense, biologically.
We just keep rediscovering what all this biology means, especially when it is at odds, with modern "theories" about how it is society that pushes gender on people, and what the fallout from that is.
SwissArmyD at November 5, 2014 9:09 AM
There is no free lunch. And if you don't know how you are paying for that free lunch you are probably paying too much.
Ben at November 5, 2014 10:11 AM
This is really no different from raising the minimum wage, but via benefits rather than cash. And the impact isn't that different from a direct tax on labor. If you force people to pay more for something, they'll figure out ways to avoid buying as much of it.
Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at November 5, 2014 10:59 AM
I wonder how many people would welcome Diana Moon Glampers' tender care?
lujlp at November 5, 2014 11:20 AM
@Lujlp: I wonder how many people would welcome Diana Moon Glampers' tender care?
Oh lots, I'm sure, so long as it's other people being equalized.
Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at November 5, 2014 11:42 AM
Sigh, yes, utopian schemes always degrade to this. Attempts to create utopia make some people miserable, so then the utopians set out to make everyone (except themselves) equally miserable.
Cousin Dave at November 7, 2014 9:18 AM
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