Should Mom Stay at Home and Get a Salary from the Government - Research Paper Example

 Should Mom stay at home and get a salary from the government? The issue of whether mothers who stay at home should get paid has been a subject of debate for sometime now. In many jurisdictions, stay at home mums are not paid by the government which means they depend on their spouses, relatives or well wishers for their wellbeing. This state of affaires has seen many of such women live in deplorable conditions. By paying such women money from the exchequer, their lives are bound to improve, their children’s development would be better, and the economy would benefit at least to some extent, albeit at a cost. This paper will analyze whether or not stay at home mothers should be paid by government. Politicians and lawmakers In different forums and countries like Germany and the United States of America, the issue has been considered even by politicians and lawmakers. In the United States of America, Democratic strategist Hillary Rosen once attacked Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s wife claiming she had never worked a day in her life (Fox News Insiders par. 5). This sparked a number of responses both from democrats and republicans. Mrs. Romney defended herself by stating that her choice of career was to be a mother and that the most important job is motherhood (Fox News Insiders par. 7). The first lady also tweeted on the matter saying that all mothers do work hard and ought to be respected. The former first lady Barbara Bush, was not left out of the debate. According to her, the fact that Mrs. Romney choose to stay and home and raise her five boys was not an easy thing based on her experience raising George Walker (Dougherty, 2012). She further emphasized that there are a number of choices to be made in life, but if someone takes the way to stay at home and be a mother, that’s worthy of respect (Gordon, 2012). The Germans have also had their share in the debate, with the parliament weighing whether or not to pay mothers who choose to stay at home and take care of their children (Gordon, 2012). The debate is between those who view the proposed bill as a way of encouraging more people to stay at home and those seeing as forgoing the opportunity for expansion outside childcare that is affordable. According to Havertz (2012), the German government has struggled to match up daycare demands. In larger cities that include Munich, Humburg and Berlin, parents have been seen booking daycare registration for their children way before their birth. A part from the government daycare, the other preferred option is church-funded daycare, with private daycares being seen as an option only if the other two are unavailable. The proposed law by the conservative coalition championed by Angela Merkel seeks to pay mothers who take the choice of staying at home for the sake of their children. This means that mothers would earn up to 150 Euros for staying at home with their children of age from one to three years, as opposed to sending them to daycare. If the mother was employed previously, their jobs would be guaranteed and the employer is expected to pay them salary. If she is not paid by the employer, the government pays her for 14 months depending on their salary (Harvetz 2012). But such plans are without critics, criticisms coming from numerous quotas. Katja Dörner who is the spokeswoman for the green party in terms of family issues claims that those funds should be channeled towards bettering early childhood daycares. She estimates the annual cost of paying mothers to be 1.2 billion Euros. She believes that this money could be used to breach the shortcomings of the daycare system. Though it is a legal right for parents to be entitle to affordable daycare, statistics show that there is a short fall of between 150,000 to 170,000 chances. Some believe that this proposed plan is a way for the government to get out of the shortfall of trained personnel for daycare and lack of proper facilities, a view that Merkel strongly denies. Others claim that it is away to try and force a certain method of daycare on the people (Harvetz 2012). Another section of critics, say that the law would encourage women to stay at home as opposed to taking up a career given that their will be payment to facilitate the choice. According to some critics the proposed childcare law is contrary to what families believe. Proponents note that the law will be of benefit to the family as it creates an option for the family to choose whether or not to put their child in daycare or to provide education from home. The Views of Stay at Home Mothers The debate has gone further even to the corridors of survey and research. With different groups taking different stands that seem contrary to one another. A recent study conducted in Germany showed that mothers whose children are below the age of three have a higher likeliness of staying unemployed or otherwise doing part time work. It further revealed that there is an significantly higher chance of mothers whose children are above three years old returning to work (Harvetz 2012). Many women who stay at home feel that the government should indeed implement the proposal as it would be a good way of appreciating their efforts has never quite get recognized. They believe that without their efforts, the economy would be negatively affected. They also feel that the measure will go a long way in improving their lives. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), among immigrants, homecare has a disadvantage in that it denies children the opportunity for better education and social engagement at an early stage (below four years). A study conducted by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung showed that in countries such as Sweden, Finland and Denmark, it is being debate on whether to remove payment for women who opted to stay at home as it had a negative effect on employment in these counties. However it must be noted that the researcher is a left leaning German political foundation. Government The proposal to pay stay at home mothers in Germany has been ridiculed by critics, some calling it hearth Bonus while others call it a keep-your-kids-out-of-school-money. However, the Government is still optimistic to call it child-care-benefit as it maintains that it is a major part of the country’s freedom of choice. What worries the government is the fact that it is faced with a population that is shrinking and ageing. At the same time, the population is not fully absorbed into the workforce of the country. Many German women are unemployed and underpaid. Compared to other countries, women tend to work fewer hours in Germany, with only South Korea and Japan having worse statistics among countries in the OECD (The Economist par. 4). According to the Economist (par. 6) the issue of paying stay at home mums has also brought differences among the ruling coalition in Germany with President Merkel having to deal with threats of walk outs if the proposed law does not go through. In Merkel’s previous government, there was an introduction of a policy dubbed “Pay parent”aimed at encouraging women to be mothers and maintain their careers at the same time (The Economist par. 5). The same government pledged to improve daycare, a promise which the government is trying to fulfill to-date. Some believe that the improvement of daycare system by providing good crèches will be a solution for all. These are seen to be able to provide a way to combine parenting and career, reduce shortage in workforce, encourage growth and sustain equality from both gender (The Economist par. 8). Economists’ View According to Covert (par. 6), the whole community gains from devoted childcare and not just the child, its value on the family is significant and furthermore, its impact on the economy is even greater. According to some economists, if mothers who stay at home were to be paid, families incomes would increase by about 30% which will not just be a major impact on the family but a huge impact on the economy (Covert par. 6). The analysts further note that paying stay at home mums would go a long way in increasing a country’s GDP. Conclusion The debate on whether or not to pay women who opt to be stay at home takes a twist everyday, dragging along with it people from all walks from housewives, economists, politicians, and researchers. In as much as different groups have taken their stands to either support or oppose it, it has its advantages. It gives an opportunity to kids to be raised by their mothers. This means they receive first hand care. It also gives parents an opportunity to be with their children in their early stages of life which is very vital to their development. However, if not handled well, the pay-stay-at-home-mums program might lead to a huge shortage of skill in the workforce. In general, stay at home mothers should be paid by government. Works Cited Fox News Insiders. Barbara Bush Responds to Hilary Rosen's Comments About Ann Romney. 2012. Web. http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/04/12/barbara-bush-responds-to-hilary-rosens-comments-about-ann-romney-says-im-sorry-she-took-a-knock-at-those-who-chose-to-stay-at-home/ Gordon C. Should Mothers be paid to stay home for taking care of their children? 2012. Web. http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/08/20/germany-debates-paying-mothers-to-stay-home/ The Economist. Pay to stay at home: The government plans a controversial benefit for stay-at-home mothers. 2012. http://www.economist.com/node/21554245 Harvertz R. Germany Debates Plan to Pay Stay-at-Home Moms. 2012. Web. http://www.cnbc.com/id/48699000 Dougherty B. Democratic advisor makes Huge blunder on attacking Mrs. Romney. 2012. Web. /www.businessinsider.com/democratic-advisor-slams-ann-romney-she-never-worked-a-day-in-her-life-2012-4 Read More