In other words, the salaries of parents are being subsidized by childless

 workers.  Such subsidies would be less questionable if they were based on

 need.  However, since benefits packages such as these are more common in professional, white collar jobs, this is not always the case. 

 

Not all childless people are rich, and not all parents are poor.  Yet we are redistributing wealth from one to the other based solely on the lifestyle and circumstance.

 

These  benefits are designed to promote families, and do serve a needed function in society, (see contrary perspective) but they essentially entail singling out a single contribution to society for subsidy.  A company is free to do this, but they should be aware of the choice they are making.

 

So why hasn’t this happened?

 

I would wager not all companies have weighed this out. Such benefits came at a time when voluntary childlessness was more rare—and thus these benefits would even out in the end. When currently childless employees inevitably had children, the scales were balanced and the cycle complete. This is no longer the case—but not everyone is aware that the situation has changed.

 

Unequal Voices

Furthermore, these programs are often the result of the powerful lobbying force of feminist groups, with no counterpart in the childless.  With no organization, little societal acceptance, and individual fear of social stigma, people without children have had no means of balancing the powerful parental lobby.

 

The childfree are an emerging group, whose numbers are growing.  In an era where ‘pro-family’ is synonymous with ‘good’, admitting that you don’t want children can, in certain cases, make people see you as strange. We are becoming more tolerant of various religions, sexual orientations, and ethnicities, but few think to question our assumption that every woman wants to be a mother, and every man who doesn’t want to be a father is just immature and afraid of commitment.

 

_______________

* when applied to those who are childless by circumstance or infertility, these concerns are implicated even further.  As an advocacy project for the childfree, this site does not purport to address the issues of the involuntarily childless, although they would benefit in a parallel way from changes in policy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Childfree Issues : Cafeteria Plans

Equal Pay  for Equal Work

Why Cafeteria Plans?

Sure, our choices* or circumstances generally result in more disposable income.  Without diapers, tuition, toys, and baby formula to pay for, the childless often have extra money to spend that parents do not.  But does that mean that childless employees actually deserve to be paid less?

Employee benefits are part of a worker’s salary, and when a company offers benefits applicable only to those with children, those without are essentially receiving a lower salary for the same job.

The Plan

 

What we are advocating is a plan that has already been instituted by major employers—a cafeteria plan.  Under these programs, each employee is allotted a set dollar amount for their benefits. Employees pick which benefits they will take advantage of, and each ends up with an individualized set of benefits of equal value to their co-workers.

 

Oddly enough, assumptions about the childless can often result in them doing more work for the same (or less) pay.  (See Office Culture) Those with children are often given priority for holiday vacation, and the needs of attending soccer practice and recitals is seen as paramount—leaving those without working late and picking up the slack.  I’m not sure we can change this culture, but what we can do is make sure those who are working longer, more flexible hours are being treated fairly when the paychecks arrive.

 

Gains to All

 

Indeed, this increased flexibility and extra free time might make childless workers a valuable asset—one that companies want to retain and attract. What better way to do so than to acknowledge the needs of childless workers with a cafeteria plan?  This benefits not only the company which benefits from the greater productivity, but the parents who have one more person to lean on when needed.

 

It’s very nearly a win-win.