LAST WEEK Geraldine Ferraro,in all her would-have-been vice presidential glory, spoke to a crowd of eager University students, staff and community members. As a speaker for the Center for Politics series on Women in Politics, Ferraro brought much enthusiasm for womens' equitable involvement in policy making, business and all other sectors of a man's working world. During the question and answer session, I asked Ferraro what role she sees for women in the domestic sphere as they achieve yet greater heights of equity in the public sphere. She suggested, among other things, betterdaycare -- saying outright thatdaycare helps society.
Her answer wasn't surprising, but it is worth addressing. Citing examples and anecdotes of all kinds of parents who care individually about the proper raising of their children is easy. Many people are conscious of the time their children spend in daycare and concerned with the quality of thedaycare facilities their children attend. However, we have failed collectively to examine and remedy the societal cost of part-time parenting. The horror stories ofdaycare and the exorbitant cost frequently concern parents. Yet, the solution isn't betterdaycare; rather, families should practice self-sacrificial parenting and reduce the time their young children spend away from the home.
While most of us have a few years to go before we consider even having children, we must prepare ourselves with the notion that outsourcing the responsibilities and duties of parenthood to some stranger in adaycare facility is not the basis for strong family life or societal progress. As women reach equitable positions in the work force there must be some compromise or family life in America will continue to break down.
Unfortunately, women are not men. Many women feel guilty when working outside the home and leaving young children with other adults or alone. Ferraro herself said that, while a representative in the House, she had high school aged children and made a commitment with her husband to go to most of their school functions so that she "wouldn't have this guilt thing." Later she went on to say, "If I had to make a decision politics or family
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