English
EspañolWhat is a fair family policy? One which creates dignified work for fathers and mothers.
Text
“Labour also makes possible the development of society and provides for the sustenance, stability and fruitfulness of one’s family.” (The Joy of Love, n.24) “…we can appreciate the suffering created by unemployment and the lack of steady work…Sadly, these realities are present in many countries today, where the lack of employment opportunities takes its toll on the serenity of family life.” (id. n. 25)
Commentary
I attended a congress once that brought together the most important businessman in Peru, and which was entitled something like ethics and business (it seems that the allusion to ethics contributes positively to gaining followers and attendees); an experienced colleague began his presentation with the words: “I am grateful for the invitation to this important event, and here in front of you I cannot resist telling you to pay fair salaries … and then if you want, we can continue talking about ethics.
Are you a politician, a businessman, a The University professor, a lawyer, a doctor, or an influential social agent? Perhaps you should review certain contradictions between your discourse and your actions. Proclaiming that family is essential in insufficient in times such as these, only theoretical truth is of little use. Love must be put into action.
Psychiatrists, educators, parents, young people, marriage counselors, and even economists agree that family breakdowns cause severe social and economic damage. Still, at the same time, they take for granted that the increase in corporate profits based on a drastic reduction in costs under the logic of lower fixed salaries and layoffs, or precarious jobs, is the best mechanism for creating wealth. People-oriented or so-called family-friendly corporate cultures are still rarely implemented worldwide.
Nowadays, with great effort, men and women are juggling not to take excellent care, but simply not neglect their children and educate the future generations in a short period of time. Alongside this, employment – o underemployment – and discrepancies between salary and the family’s dignity make this effort seem heroic and discourage married life and building a family. When in reality, as the saying goes, “family is the cell of society” because of its irreplaceable benefits.
Unintentionally, or probably unwillingly, many contribute to and reinforce an understanding of a child as a “burden” for a company and the family. The economic criterion still prevails over the rest, including the social and anthropological ones.
And what about you? What do you think and do about it from your position in society?
