No one should have to choose between providing for your family and being a good parent. Yet “family-friendly” work is still a pipedream.
Today most parents are also wage earners, whether in a two-parent or single-parent household. Politicians talk a lot about the importance of family, but must do a better job delivering.
Specifically:
– Require that women receive equal pay for equal work.
– Require employers provide predictable hours so workers can plan to be home when their family needs them.
– Provide universal childcare – pre-school and after-school – financed by employers and taxpayers.
– Require that employers offer paid family and medical leave.
The richest nation in the world should enable its workers to be good parents. Family-friendly work isn’t a luxury. People who work hard deserve to make more than a decent living. They and their families deserve a decent life.
