So very quick thought: when it comes to gay marriage, people talk about how the family is the bedrock of society and must be protected. But when it comes to measures to support working parents (e.g. paid maternity leave or paternity leave or work-based childcare, etc.), people talk about how it's a given couple's choice to have children, so they should figure it out. Why should people who don't have kids get less "perks" than people who do?
Does this seem inconsistent to anyone else?
I haven't had a chance to really ruminate on this, but it seems like a discordant standard. If the point is to improve the family unit, how much would it be improved by making it easier for mothers and fathers to earn a living and be there for their kids? If the family is the bedrock of society, aren't procreating couples fulfilling an important social function that we (as a whole society) need and desire them to fulfill?
Maybe I'm just listening to the feedback from two totally different groups--people who care about the family unit when we are discussing gay marriage are different people than people who think couple's should figure it out when discussing working parents. But somehow I don't think so. I don't know, thoughts?
