"I really don't know why class warfare has to be introduced into this debate -- to divide women further so they can bicker amongst themselves and not actually fight for change? The gains made by women working in "the professions" do actually trickle down, but the differences in pekrs, benefits and working conditions between salaried professionals and by the hour wage earning people extend beyond benefits for women -- and yes, there is a disparity. And why shouldn't there be? You get better working conditions, like a chair and not being in a hot kitchen, if you invested time and money into your career and have marketable skills. It's how capitalism works."

It's not "class warfare". Sloganeering aside, it's a fact. One of the issues with modern Feminism in terms of it's appeal to all women is that in general it's been seen by some other women as a movement primarily addressed to the concerns of well educated upper middle class white women. In some ways that's not a surprise because most of the leaders of have come from that class and/or group of people. It's unfortunate because I think the appeal should be universal but it's not accurate to pretend that the perception doesn't exist by calling it class warfare.

Overall, I don't disagree with much of what you say in principle and it does make sense that women in "professional" positions will have more and/or better perks than other women (although that has little to do with "how capitalism works"), but, you're missing a key point. The benefit in question mentioned by the article HASN'T trickled down (which was the point of the article) and I find the notion that they generally do to be somewht dubious. Anyway, another point that seems to have been missed is one of simple logistics. In all the talk of breastfeeding practices and locations, what I didn't see it mentioned by anyone (maybe I missed it) was does it even make sense to bring your infant to your barista job? Where exactly in your typical Starbucks location would that make sense?

"And i really don't appreciate the idea that just because someone has a professional or high-raking or high -paying job, they shouldn't complain, or that they don't have "real" problems."

They can complain all they want. In fact, as evidenced in these Letter sections, they do. They complain incessantly about their real problems or, more accurately, they angst about their choices and that's fine, but what should they expect that the reaction will be from people who have less choices and more severe problems? I'll tell you what the reaction's going to be - boo freakin hoo. What's the bigger issue though, is the obnoxious way "they" try and present their issues as representative of THE issues for eveybody else.

Well, you must have been weeping too much because your rant is misguided.

"What happened to the universal, traditional idea that an entire community's health can be assessed by considering the welfare of its children??"

Are you sure you're talking about THIS country? If so, your universal idea is more romantic imagining rather than reality. Oh don't get me wrong, we make a big show of being "for the children", especially nowadays, but in fact we don't do much tangible unless forced by tragedy or emergency. Especially if we have to pay for it. We Looovvvveee Sweden but we hate the taxes.

"Children belong to all of us, but they are cared for primarily by their families. In the interest of the welfare of all of us, families need some kinds of help to do a good job by their children. Is this so hard to understand? Can people not see how pathetic this bean-counting numerical equality is ("If you get days off for your child's sickness, I should get days off for my hobby?")? Whatever happened to the COMMON GOOD?"

Okay, show me one post here where anyone was against helping families or kids BUT this part is so typical it's almost amusing. I notice the COMMON GOOD!!!! only seems to include parent and kid families. I guess the rest of us don't count. Funny how the rant against bean counting just kinda worked out that way, huh?

Sorry, I don't believe that story. It has the smell of The. Perfect. Story. to-fit-the- circumstances-and-allow-me-to-take-a-pissy-sideways-jab-at-others, but eh, it could be true. Whatever.

Okay, I'll ask you a variation of my previous question, show me one "anti-mother diatribe" in this thread. Strange how disgareeing with some of you equals an "anti-mother" diatribe as if the be and end all of motherhood is represented by some of you all.