Letters to the Editor
Stephen de las Heras
Published Letters: 40 Editor's Choice: 1
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Memo to Tracy
[Read the article: Are women unmotivated earners?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It is rooted in biology. But it is statistical. Take the statement "men are taller than women". It is only true in a statistical sense.
Conservatives talk nonsense when they argue that men SHOULD be taller than women. They refuse to see that many people have preferences that do not conform to their gender averages. This is what's wrong with believing in gender roles--everyone gets lumped in the same box.
Radical feminists talk nonsense when they say that we need to find ways to make men shorter in order to bring about a more gender balanced world. These people should take a few minutes to read Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron".
The complicated twist in the wage gap debate is that employers might stereotype female employees as being more likely to take time off, quit, or have competing priorities. A view that happens to match reality, but is hardly true for everyone. There is little we can do to fix this other than just encouraging women to be very clear about their strong commitment to their jobs in interviews and reviews.
The best way for women to keep their careers on the front burner is for them to marry men who are happy to put their careers on the back burner. It bugs me when women snag a high income super successful man, and then complain they are forced to pick up the slack on the home-front.
Side-note to LeCastor. It's not just the number of hours. Its also types of jobs. And it's all voluntary. So don't bury yourself so deep on a losing battle--the wage gap is a myth.
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Option D
[Read the article: I'm a small-town girl dreaming of the big-city lights]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Let's not forget that she did already say yes to building their lives together. That is no small thing to undo.
But the letter writer seems to be under the impression that her fiancee gets to call all the shots. There is no reason that her desire to move someplace else should be dismissed out of hand by him. If he is unwilling to try a relocation then the broken engagement would be in large part on his shoulders.
Partners have a responsibility to create an environment where both people are happy in a marriage. Which is why they invented the word compromise.
I am also a little skeptical about the letter. Or perhaps cynical. Because most people don't contemplate jumping ship unless they have a very attractive competing offer.
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To Alex
[Read the article: Are women unmotivated earners?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I didn't mean to suggest that finding a lower earning husband was some sort of blanket solution. Individual circumstances vary. But the higher earner's career does tend to get prioritized in most marriages, especially when the difference is significant.
I am also sure that sexism and discrimination is alive and well all over the world, and is a deeply frustrating experience. Of course men are also stereotyped daily in many harmful ways. They may benefit from stereotypes in their careers, but they are more likely to be harmed by them on the home-front. Personally I have hope that younger generations will manage to be a lot less sexist.
I do know many families who get by on one income. It's not for everyone. Important things like healthcare, education, and housing cost a lot in our world. But I also think that for many people (not necessarily you) lifestyle expectations are extremely high when compared to life in most of the world and previous generations.
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Trust?
[Read the article: How safe is the HPV vaccine?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The problem is you can't trust the pharmaceuticals because they are just out to make money.
And you can't trust the FDA because they are in bed with the pharmaceuticals.
And you can't trust your doctor because he/she was put through school and gets free lunches from the drug companies.
So it becomes completely impossible to know what medical info to believe.
The system is broken.
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Study Has No Credibility
[Read the article: Women earn less than men a year out of college]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Ah yes a report from the same organization that duped everyone into believing girls were being shortchanged in schools:
http://www.aauw.org/research/girls_education/hssg.cfm
The media bought that one hook line and sinker. And it only took over a decade to figure out it was the opposite of true.
Why on earth would we take seriously a study from such an obviously biased source?
The only real wage gap issue is whether employers tend to hedge their bets with female employees because of pregnancy fears. Technically this is discrimination of course. But it seems unrealistic to expect employers not to factor in the probability of an employee quitting, taking time off, etc, into the equation. If there were a demographic that was more likely to run off and join a cult at a moments notice, then they would probably end up being compensated less by the market. I'm not saying it's right--just complicated in real life.
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Verbal Abuse? Not so fast.
[Read the article: This little piggy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Almost anything done in anger is a mistake. That is doubly true in the world of parenting. And includes name calling.
Motivation matters in life. Which is why outlawing certain words doesn't work. There is always a context in which they will not be offensive. Just like pushing people is wrong. But pushing someone out of the way of an oncoming truck is a good thing.
So there is nothing wrong with insults in some situations. Even little kids love making up their own verbal jibes, which are often very creative and amusing. My kid and I insult each other all the time! (e.g.. doodoo-head.) And then we both crack up. Am I scarring him for life? I think not.
Having no sense of humor and taking offense easily are far worse crimes in my book than the occasional verbal fireball. We can't all walk around on eggshells all the time just because some people are incredibly thin-skinned.