Marks on Work and Motherhood

While I agreed with much of Marlene Adler Marks’ “Of Work, Welfare and Motherhood” (Commentary, July 19), I have to respond to what I consider a major flaw. Marks neglects what is most likely to permanently debunk stereotypes and provide working women with what they need. She has omitted men from the equation. She gives a thorough discussion of all that women do as income earners and parents and housekeepers, but she makes little mention of what men do not do in these realms.

When men are equally involved in child-rearing, they too will need “vehicles of independence”: day care, health care and part-time opportunities. When men have those needs, our mostly male legislators will probably work harder to provide them. In addition, more poor men might stick around to raise their children if they didn’t think that their only valuable contribution was a paycheck, thus freeing women to earn money without day-care headaches.

We see so much about how men abdicate responsibility for their children. Is that any wonder when we never tell them that children are their responsibility?

CAITLIN CROSS-BARNET

Los Angeles

* Most women would prefer to stay home and care for their families. This is no Republican Party cliche, as Marks says. And no, the Pope does not suggest that, because of the church’s belief in the equality of women, all women should get salaried jobs outside the home. Marks’ idea of equality seems stunted by feminism.

Marks has this notion that the 1950s “Harriet Nelson-Donna Reed” roles hold no value for us today. She presumes that today’s working moms reject this stereotype and that all they want are “child-care centers.”

Marks has this communist-sounding idea that we should take the savings from welfare appropriations and create another gluttonous federal program, providing child care. She says it’s important “what we do with the savings” after welfare reform. Who is “we”? Most taxpayers would rather save their own money and get larger tax deductions for dependents to build healthier families so moms can stay at home if they want to.

PRISCILLA WEBER

Costa Mesa