Curtailing Lives

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Clarissa

April 17, 2013

Kaur said she and her friends look forward to childbearing with fear. The choice between curtailing other women’s lives (low wage nannies and housekeepers) in order to liberate their own and attempting to do everything at the cost of enjoying anything justifiably frightens.

Got it? Giving a woman a job equals “curtailing” her life. And can you guess where the quote is from? You think it is from “Creepy Religious Woman-Haters Monthly”? Oh no. The source of this pearl of wisdom is Inside Higher Ed.

This must be how the spoiled brats discussed in the earlier post begin to speak after they manage to fulfill their dream and “buy middle class.” It must be very comforting to imagine oneself with the power to decide whether to curtail a life or not.

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7 responses to “Curtailing Lives”

charlesrowley

April 17, 2013

As long as neither individual is irrational nor coerced, all contracts are utility-enhancing. The literature from so-called feminists who see commodification in any contract involving a woman is simply disgusting. Your comment is exactly on the mark.

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1. bloggerclarissa
  
  April 17, 2013
  
  “The literature from so-called feminists who see commodification in any contract involving a woman is simply disgusting.”
  
  – Disgusting, indeed! Women are perfectly capable of deciding whether they need to accept employment and entering into work-related contract. What is with the need to infantilize women from, as you say, pseudo-feminists?
  
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2. David Gendron
  
  April 17, 2013
  
  I agree with this post, I agree that contracts are utility enhancing under rationality and non-coercion but contracts are not always a consented action.
  
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Kellen

April 17, 2013

I’m pretty sure some people actually enjoy being nannies too . . . spending time with children, etc. Must be too hard for these moms to imagine spending time with their child and getting paid for it is actually fulfilling work for someone else… Wonder if they’ll enjoy spending time with their own kids?

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1. bloggerclarissa
  
  April 17, 2013
  
  “Must be too hard for these moms to imagine spending time with their child and getting paid for it is actually fulfilling work for someone else… Wonder if they’ll enjoy spending time with their own kids?”
  
  – Exactly.
  
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musteryou

April 17, 2013

That’s a really weird point of view the writer expounds. It seems like an overestimation of power to suggest that by giving nannies — or a nanny? — work, one single-handedly demolishes the moral basis for society. Certainly, there is a lot of exploitation going on in the world, with people being paid very little for services, but the employment of a nanny does not touch on this. Or more correctly, the writer does not touch on this point when she expresses her moral objection to employing a a nanny. One could, for instance, choose to pay more than the minimum wage.

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1. bloggerclarissa
  
  April 17, 2013
  
  “One could, for instance, choose to pay more than the minimum wage.”
  
  – Exactly. Feel bad about paying little? So pay more, problem solved. Or ask the nanny how much she charges and leave the decision in her hands. This is nothing but an excuse to feel sorry for herself on the basis of absolutely nothing. There is no problem here, just smoke and mirrors.
  
  People love feeling sorry for themselves.
  
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