A Peaceful Revolution: Do Stay-At-Home Moms Need a Fair Pay Act?

A stay-at-home mother doesn't get a paycheck, so she might wonder if the Fair Pay Restoration Act impacts her life. At first glance it appears not, but a closer look shows that it does affect her and that all moms -- regardless of their stay-at-home or working mother status -- would be wise to support it.

The Fair Pay Restoration Act is a proposed law which would restore the ability of an employee to challenge pay discrimination whenever she or he learns about it. This right was curtailed when the Supreme Court, in a narrow 5-4 opinion, ruled last year that an employee has only 180 days to pursue legal action if he or she suspects pay discrimination (See these posts for more background and information about what MomsRising.org is doing to support the Act).

Many stay-at-home moms make a decision to focus their life's work on their children and families. They don't plan to re-enter the workforce after children are born, so they may not see the relevance of fair pay legislation to their lives. But the operative word here is "plan": although they plan to remain out of the paid workforce to care for children, at-home moms might find that unplanned circumstances lead them back to work, when children enter school, if a spouse is disabled, dies, or divorces them, or if household economics require a second income for the family. Indeed, one MomsRising.org member wrote that she had made the decision to focus her life's work on her children while her husband worked as the income provider for the family. Sadly, her husband died unexpectedly. The mother found that she was unable to find a job, regardless of her qualifications, once people found out that she was a single mother of several children. Employers didn't want to deal with a "single mom." No doubt that when she does finally secure a job, this mom will want (and possibly need) protection against pay discrimination. She is, after all, the family's breadwinner.

Another reason for a stay-at-home mother to support the Fair Pay Restoration Act is that pay discrimination can easily hit home in her extended family: she surely would be outraged to learn that her daughter (or daughter-in-law) was experiencing pay discrimination and see its impact on her loved ones. Think of the drain it would create on a family whose mom is already working like a dog to balance the demands of work and family, only to find out that she's paid less than someone in an equivalent position. No doubt she would consider it unjust for her daughter to have no legal recourse against discrimination. And let us not forget that the Fair Pay Act does not apply solely to women's claims of unfair pay. A stay-at-home mom who is financially dependent on her employed husband might find that he needs protection too.

Finally, and importantly, by not supporting fair pay for women who do work outside the home, we contribute to a society that devalues women and women's work. That impacts at-home mothers in the sense that their caring work is further devalued, as it is seen mostly as "women's work" -- even today. By not valuing fair pay for others, we are not valuing ourselves. We should stand up for all whose work contributes to our society. Even if we do not earn a paycheck ourselves, we should stand for fair pay for those who do.

A Peaceful Revolution" is a weekly blog about work/life satisfaction done in collaboration with MomsRising.org. Read a post by a leading thinker in the field every week.

Comments

[nunzia]

My comment, typed last night, hasn't been shown here.
And there appear to be no others - unless they are all simply being neglected as well.
Perhaps the overall lack of interest in this topic in instructive. When younger women abandoned their elders, and allowed the right wingers again to define "womanhood" (so many hurried to proclaim "I'm not a feminist"), they abandoned any progress for woman at home as well.
Again, women are their own worst enemy.

[nunzia]

Good luck with that.
The Second Wave Feminists of the '70s were
arguing for stay-at-home-mothers' rights almost 40 years ago.
Never happened.
Instead, the media and most of our culture screamed they were burning bras and anti-family. That's the cartoon image that prevailed and smothered the movement's momentum.
Now we have young women all over the country,
criticizing older women whose battles and integrity and wisdom have been devalued, demonized and dissed.
There is nothing so foolish as a generation ignorant of its elders.
Shakespeare aid, how sharper than a serpent's tooth is an ungrateful child. In this case, the bite and injury is self-inflicted.
The past 2 generations of women shouldn't have bought into the b.s. that the media told them(you) about the Feminist Movement.
But you did.
So, good luck to you now.
You may have to start all over again.
Women are - always - their own worst enemy.