One of Michael Ignatieff’s senior MPs, Dr. Carolyn Bennett, says raising a child isn’t a “real job,” reports the Conservative Party today, in a statement reminiscent of “beer and popcorn.”
“According to Bennett, ‘Women of Canada want to hear about early learning and child care…to be able to get back to school, to get a real job, to be able to go to work.’ (Hill Times, March 22, 2010),” note the Conservatives, asking: “Really? Raising a child at home isn’t a ‘real job’? Has Carolyn Bennett actually spoken to any real mothers lately?”
Carolyn Bennett may not have meant it the way it seems. After all, by "real job" she may have really meant "paying job", or "a better paying job" (as opposed to a crappy job).
But the way the statement is phrased, it makes it sound like a "real job" is more important than staying at home.
And she also makes her statement categorically. "Women of Canada want to hear about early learning and child care (...)".
Not me. And probably a lot of women in the same boat.
Even if you replaced "women" with "moms" (gee, conflating the two, isn't that anti-feminist?) I still don't think that's necessarily true. Even if it's true for 60% of mothers, what are the other 40%?
To tell you the truth, I don't really see my role as a "job". It's more of a vocation. I stay at home to be emotionally nurturing to my children, and that's not really "a job" to me. It involves a lot of effort, no doubt. But it's not in the same category as someone who slaves over a desk all day (or on the factory floor).
But there's always this suggestion by sophisticated leftists that staying at home isn't a legitimate thing to do, or that it's less valuable than what is done on the paid labour market.
It's hard to unionize moms, you know.
