Going to try something – just links I’ve liked over the past week or two. It’s everything I would put on Facebook if I did much on Facebook or if anybody who comes here saw my Facebook page.
Why Is Europe a Dirty Word? – This column from Nicholas Kristoff in the New York Times is superficial but important because it recognizes all the ways that Europe works, in contrast to important ways the US does not. I think most Americans would be surprised to learn how many people see the US as a sort of failed state.
Behind Every Great Woman – BusinessWeek wrote a cover story about the men who stay at home to support their successful wives. The problem? It’s about role reversal, not equality. A very small step.
Homemaker Dad, Breadwinner Mom – In a blog entry at the New York Times, Nancy Folbre takes on my point above. And she gets into detail about something my wife figured out the first time we did our taxes in the US. The system is so biased towards a stay-at-home parent that it makes almost no sense for many spouses – men or women – to work. In Sweden, of course, both spouses have to work, which is another kind of pressure, but at least a more fair one. Why not support child care activities and others tax breaks that would allow everyone to go to work – while preserving choice – instead of penalizing mostly women who often do go back to work but for what comes out to insulting wages?
Pre-K Converts – Which brings me to this post from DadWagon, in which Nathan Thornburgh talks about the sad state, and ridiculous cost, of pre-K education in New York City, but also the whole US. Excuse me while I go metaphorically kiss the stable, competitive, yet secure Swedish welfare state.
Dispatches from Daddyland 