working women

Mrs Anna T had a post the other day about maternity leave, its 'damage' of womens careers, and the strain put on employers while their women workers are off having babies. ive been reading a lot about maternity leave lately - it seems to be being debated over here at the moment, how much should we get, should it be up to the govt. or the employer, how much other countries have, all that stuff. and to be honest, its all making my brain hurt.

if a woman chooses to, or needs to work, and has a child, she should not have to live in fear that the job will not be available when she returns. but, paying her wages and wages for a replacement during her time off, could put a huge strain on her employer, especially if its a small business. so maybe the 'unpaid' maternity leave we currently have is the way to go. she doesnt get any money, but has a guarantee her job will be available if she returns to work within a year. the guarantee part is great, but if she's working because she NEEDS to, rather than because she WANTS to, she'll have to return to work far far before she and her baby are ready, because otherwise they have no money.

i see no solution. people take enough advantage of government handouts as it is; a government funded maternity leave is not the answer. it really all makes my brain hurt, and im simply glad to be in a situation where i do not currently need to work.

unfortunately its not just the maternity leave predicament. there is a young woman who works at my husband's company and is being paid the same amount as anyone else there - as she should, except for one thing. she does half the work. they work in a warehouse, and it involves lifting and carrying and all that fun stuff. part of the employment process is a 'test' to make sure the prospective employee can lift a certain weight. which she didnt do. and now asks the rest of the people there to put aside their own work to carry the things she cant lift. or do things she simply wont learn how to do.

but, if her bosses were to fire her now, there would be an outcry about sexual discrimination. never mind that she IS NOT DOING HER JOB, she should be employed anyway! they gave her a job, now they have to keep her in her job.

i have no problem with women working. when all my kids are at school, i expect i will have some sort of job. something with flexible hours so i can collect them and/or drop them off, depending on hubby's hours, and have time for cooking and cleaning and all that. what i DO have a problem with is women taking advantage. if the job involves something you cant do, find something else. a 5ft tall woman is not going to be able to lift the same amount as a 6ft tall man. hey, a 6ft tall woman most likely cant lift as much as a 6ft tall man.

i'm only about an inch shorter than my husband and i KNOW i cant lift what he can. i might be smarter than him, though he has yet to convince me of that, but our bodies are built differently. he has a broad back and shoulders, and strong arms. he can lift and carry rather heavy things. like me. i have ridiculously strong legs, and big hips - im built to carry different things. like babies. my arms simply do not have the strength to carry heavy things. i cannot do the work he does. and he cannot do many of the things i do. (people can go on and on all they want about men and women being 'the same' or 'equal' but we are not the same. we are built very differently.)

there are women who work hard to have his kind of strength. they can do his job. and theres no reason why they shouldnt. but when a woman doesnt have the skills or strength to do a certain job, she shouldnt. she should find something she can do easily, something she can do well, something she can do better than someone else, and do that. leave the messy sweaty stuff for the boys. its yucky anyway.