What do you think of the U.S. Census Bureau's classification of mothers as "designated parents" and fathers as providers of "child care"?
I saw this in The Stir - What are your thoughts?
Government Disses Parents by Classifying Dads as Babysitters
You want to hear something crazy -- something that, if you're anything like me, will get you hopping mad? In a report about childcare in two-parent households, the U.S. Census Bureau considers mothers who care for their children -- while the fathers are working or, well, whenever -- as a child's "designated parent." Fathers who care for their children while the mother is working or attending school, however, are considered to be part of a "child care arrangement." In other words, as KJ Dell'Antonia points out in The New York Times' Motherlode blog, as far as the Census Bureau is concerned, mothers who care for their kids are parents, and dads who care for their kids (as a rapidly increasing percentage of them do) are, essentially, babysitters.
In her blog, Dell'Antonia rightly expresses outrage about this ridiculously retrograde classification, which a Census Bureau spokesperson told her was based on "gender norms." (I know, it just gets worse and worse, doesn't it?) "Mothers -- just call us 'designated parents' -- are on the hook every time," she writes.
But there may be an even bigger loser than moms in this "gender norm,"
"designated parent," "child care arrangement" debate, which goes way beyond
semantics: fathers. The idea that fathers, when they care for their
children, are essentially hired hands or second-class citizens or
anything other than parents, caring for their children out of love and
dedication, is just unbelievably insulting.
As I write
this, sitting in front of my computer, trying to make a buck and support my
family in my chosen field, who is -- right at this moment -- picking up my
(our!) children at school and taking them to the playground for a little
afterschool air and sunshine, laughing with them, playing with them, giving them
a snack, and comforting them if they skin a knee? Their father, who is
every bit a "designated parent" as I. To differentiate his care for
them from mine is to deny him his rightful status -- and to deny our kids the
understanding that they have two parents who are equally able to love and care
for them. The U.S. Census Bureau ought to be ashamed! And I don't need a survey
to back that up.
What do you think of the U.S. Census Bureau's
classification of mothers as "designated parents" and fathers as providers of
"child care"?
I saw this yesterday and I feel that it is a blow to feminists everywhere
in my house thats how it works...im the care giver and he sometimes baby sits s he calls it...not by my choice...i thought we were gonna be 50/50 but its like 98/2
That's interesting but I don't know that I agree with it.
Hmm.... :-/
Quoting fallnangel3:I saw this yesterday and I feel that it is a blow to feminists everywhere
- Cafe AmyS
on Feb. 12, 2012 at 9:46 PM