RE: Interesting debate over there .....
February 25, 2016 at 2:36 pm
(This post was last modified: February 25, 2016 at 2:41 pm by Joods.)
(February 25, 2016 at 12:33 pm)pool the great Wrote: I don't consider myself a diehard feminist but ..
In my opinion, our society is slightly sexist - portraying women as weak and inferior to men. Women are just as good as men(perhaps better)and anyone that thinks otherwise is sexist scum. Furthermore, it is degrading to women for the law system to have men pay them support. We aren't living in the 80s, it's 2016, women are capable of standing tall by themselves without men "supporting" them financially or otherwise. Of all the women i've known my entire life perhaps 2 of them didn't have a job, all the other women had highly respectable jobs - more women should be like them - strong and independent. More women should refuse to take "support" from men and illustrate that they are just as good as men. I really wish this sexist society would stop bringing women down - portraying them as weak and inferior to men in need of "support from men".
There's a problem that has been overlooked though. Not all women can (or should be) lumped into the same category. Families come in all shapes and sizes. If you have a mother, who has had the opportunity to stay at home with the kids for several years, while her partner works and is able to comfortably provide so that mom can stay at home, then that scenario is entirely different than the family that has both parents working and living paycheck to paycheck. Suppose the SAHM finds her spouse cheated on her and leaves the marriage or suppose the cheating spouse just walks away from the marriage himself. She's never held a job other than to be a parent so she has no reasonable job skills that would permit her to maintain the lifestyle her children have grown accustomed to. Factor in the number of kids and their ages and now you may have to consider that she now has to find daycare for her kids while she works a minimum wage job. If her husband, according to your ideas, doesn't have to abide by any financial responsibility towards kids they have, then Mom is going to find it very difficult to not only pay for living expenses, but daycare as well. This isbnearly impossible to do on a minimum wage job without some sort of government assistance. Why should dad get out of any sort of financial responsibility when both of the parents chose to have the children in the first place?
The only difference is, see, and this is again, going back to the original issue, is if one parent is willing to fully assume all responsibilities while the other parent signs away their rights entirely. The parent who keeps the kids, would ideally be financially capable of supporting the kids on their own.
Unfortunately that is not everyone's circumstance and not everyone is able to do just that. Nor is that what everyone wants.
There are just too many variables to consider and suggesting that a parent can just be absolved of any sort of financial responsibility to provide for their child is illogical. We don't live in a society where families are all cut from the same cloth. They aren't like the houses you see in the suburbs where every house is the same on every street in the neighborhood.
For what it's worth, there are plenty of women who pay child support because the man has more time or custody of the kids or it happens that her income is higher than his. Paying support FOR the kids shouldn't always rest on one parent unless their circumstances warrant it.
Disclaimer: I am only responsible for what I say, not what you choose to understand.
