![]() ![]() Politicians also need to know what the full range of research shows, especially as they consider policy reforms that could lead many families to change their decisions about how their children are cared for. This bias and lack of information does a serious disservice to parents, who need to know about the best research in order to make fully informed choices for their families - even, and especially, if that research does not validate their biases. It is likely that a similar outlook, and in particular an unwillingness to present findings that may interfere with women's progress in the workplace, has similarly harmed the work of developmental psychologists regarding daycare. Just last year, an important study found that the culturally liberal outlook of almost all social psychologists had biased the studies and conclusions they reached. And many journalists send their kids to daycare, and therefore may be predisposed to overlook negative findings about a choice they have already made for their own children.Ī deeper reason may be that the psychologists who study daycare have attempted to downplay or put a comforting spin on troubling findings. Some may worry that acknowledging any downsides to daycare would impede the cause of women's equality, by inviting people to conclude that children would be better off if mothers dropped out of the workforce. Many reporters may be reluctant to highlight such studies because of the politically charged nature of the issue. The reasons for this are several, and are understandable. The media, which seemingly report constantly on alarming new risks to children, rarely present the public with information from studies on the impact of daycare, especially when the findings suggest that daycare is associated with significant negative outcomes. And sober examination of the actual findings of these studies consistently reveals that the risks are being exaggerated unless a child eats the fabric on his backpack, he isn't really at risk.īut when it comes to daycare - something that instinctively worries many parents - few are willing to take a hard look. There is more research than anyone needs on the dangers of certain fabrics used in car seats and backpacks or the risks of drinking from a garden hose or eating conventionally grown fruit. These decisions are made all the more difficult by a lack of reliable research on daycare. Over half of these men were either unemployed or disabled.) For many parents, decisions about work and child care are among the most difficult choices they must make. (A small but growing minority of fathers in the United States stay at home with their children: 2 million fathers, or 16% of stay-at-home parents, in 2012. More women in the workforce means that more children need some form of child care. While there are obviously many good things to be said about the professional progress of women and the significant contributions they have made in their fields, good things tend to come with tradeoffs. Among married women, 57% with a child under the age of three worked at least part time in 2014, and nearly 74% of those women worked full time. ![]() It should not be surprising that the majority of parents work outside the home, including the majority of mothers. ![]() Even when it is not necessarily required of them, many women wish to use their educations to pursue lucrative, fulfilling careers. Raising a child in America is more expensive today than it has ever been - more than $245,000, not including college tuition, according to the USDA - and supporting a family often requires two incomes. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |