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Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child. Last spring one of the two, Australia, gave up that dubious distinction by establishing paid family leave starting in 2011. I wasn"t surprised when this didn"t make the news here in the United States—we"re now the only wealthy country without such a policy.The United States does have one explicit family policy,the Family and Medical Leave Act, passed in 1993. It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks" unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem. Despite the modesty of the benefit, the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly, describing it as "government-run personnel management" and a "dangerous precedent". In fact, every step of the way, as (usually) Democratic, leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law, business groups have been strongly opposed.As Yale law professor Anne Alston argues, justifying parental support depends on defining the family as a social good that, in some sense, society must pay for. In her bookNo Exit What Parents Owe Their Children and What Society Owes Parents, she argues that parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is "no exit" when it comes to children. "Society expects—and needs—parents to provide their children with continuity of care meaning the intensive, intimate care that human beings need to develop their intellectual, emotional, and moral capabilities. And society expects-and needs-parents to persist in their role for 18 years, or longer needed."While most parents do this out of love, there are public penalties for not providing care. What parents do, in other words, is of deep concern to the state, for the obvious reason that caring for children is not only morally urgent but essential for the future of society. The state recognizes this in the large body of family laws that govern children"s welfare, yet parents receive little help in meeting the life-changing obligations society imposes. To classify parenting as a personal choice for which there is no collective responsibility is not merely to ignore the social benefits of good parenting; really, it is to steal those benefits because they accrue to the whole of society as today"s children become tomorrow"s productive citizenry. In fact, by some estimates, the value of parental investments in children, investments of time and money (including lost wages), is equal to 20%—30% of gross domestic product. If these investments generate huge social benefits—as they clearly do—the benefits of providing more social support for the family should be that much clearer. What does the author think of America"s large body of family laws governing children"s welfare
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The decline in moral standards—which has long-concerned social analysts—has at last captured the attention of average Americans. And Jean Bethke Elshtain, for one, is glad.The fact that ordinary citizens are now starting to think seriously about the nation"s moral climate, says this ethics professor at the University of Chicago, is reason to hope that new ideas will come forward to improve it.But the challenge is not to be underestimated. Materialism and individualism in America society are the biggest obstacles. "The thought that "I"m in it for me" has become deeply rooted in the national consciousness." Ms. Elshtain says.Some of this can be attributed to the disintegration of traditional communities, in which neighbors looked out for one another, she says. With today"s greater mobility and with so many couples working, those bonds have been weakened, replaced by a greater emphasis on self.In a 1996 poll of-Americans, loss of morality topped the list of the biggest problems facing the U.S. And Elshtain says the public is correct to sense that: Data show that Americans are struggling with-problems unheard of in the 1950s, such as classroom violence and a high rate of births to unmarried mothers.The desire for a higher moral standard is not a lament for some nonexistent "golden age", Elshtain says, nor is it a wishful longing for a time that denied opportunities to women and minorities. Most people, in fact, favor the lessening of prejudice.Moral decline will not be reversed until people find ways to counter the materialism in society, she says. "Slowly, you recognize that the things that matter are those that can"t be bought." Which of the following characterizes the traditional communities
The decline in moral standards—which has long-concerned social analysts—has at last captured the attention of average Americans. And Jean Bethke Elshtain, for one, is glad.The fact that ordinary citizens are now starting to think seriously about the nation"s moral climate, says this ethics professor at the University of Chicago, is reason to hope that new ideas will come forward to improve it.But the challenge is not to be underestimated. Materialism and individualism in America society are the biggest obstacles. "The thought that "I"m in it for me" has become deeply rooted in the national consciousness." Ms. Elshtain says.Some of this can be attributed to the disintegration of traditional communities, in which neighbors looked out for one another, she says. With today"s greater mobility and with so many couples working, those bonds have been weakened, replaced by a greater emphasis on self.In a 1996 poll of-Americans, loss of morality topped the list of the biggest problems facing the U.S. And Elshtain says the public is correct to sense that: Data show that Americans are struggling with-problems unheard of in the 1950s, such as classroom violence and a high rate of births to unmarried mothers.The desire for a higher moral standard is not a lament for some nonexistent "golden age", Elshtain says, nor is it a wishful longing for a time that denied opportunities to women and minorities. Most people, in fact, favor the lessening of prejudice.Moral decline will not be reversed until people find ways to counter the materialism in society, she says. "Slowly, you recognize that the things that matter are those that can"t be bought." According to Elshtain, the current moral decline may be reversed ______.
The decline in moral standards—which has long-concerned social analysts—has at last captured the attention of average Americans. And Jean Bethke Elshtain, for one, is glad.The fact that ordinary citizens are now starting to think seriously about the nation"s moral climate, says this ethics professor at the University of Chicago, is reason to hope that new ideas will come forward to improve it.But the challenge is not to be underestimated. Materialism and individualism in America society are the biggest obstacles. "The thought that "I"m in it for me" has become deeply rooted in the national consciousness." Ms. Elshtain says.Some of this can be attributed to the disintegration of traditional communities, in which neighbors looked out for one another, she says. With today"s greater mobility and with so many couples working, those bonds have been weakened, replaced by a greater emphasis on self.In a 1996 poll of-Americans, loss of morality topped the list of the biggest problems facing the U.S. And Elshtain says the public is correct to sense that: Data show that Americans are struggling with-problems unheard of in the 1950s, such as classroom violence and a high rate of births to unmarried mothers.The desire for a higher moral standard is not a lament for some nonexistent "golden age", Elshtain says, nor is it a wishful longing for a time that denied opportunities to women and minorities. Most people, in fact, favor the lessening of prejudice.Moral decline will not be reversed until people find ways to counter the materialism in society, she says. "Slowly, you recognize that the things that matter are those that can"t be bought." In the 1950s, classroom violence ______.
The decline in moral standards—which has long-concerned social analysts—has at last captured the attention of average Americans. And Jean Bethke Elshtain, for one, is glad.The fact that ordinary citizens are now starting to think seriously about the nation"s moral climate, says this ethics professor at the University of Chicago, is reason to hope that new ideas will come forward to improve it.But the challenge is not to be underestimated. Materialism and individualism in America society are the biggest obstacles. "The thought that "I"m in it for me" has become deeply rooted in the national consciousness." Ms. Elshtain says.Some of this can be attributed to the disintegration of traditional communities, in which neighbors looked out for one another, she says. With today"s greater mobility and with so many couples working, those bonds have been weakened, replaced by a greater emphasis on self.In a 1996 poll of-Americans, loss of morality topped the list of the biggest problems facing the U.S. And Elshtain says the public is correct to sense that: Data show that Americans are struggling with-problems unheard of in the 1950s, such as classroom violence and a high rate of births to unmarried mothers.The desire for a higher moral standard is not a lament for some nonexistent "golden age", Elshtain says, nor is it a wishful longing for a time that denied opportunities to women and minorities. Most people, in fact, favor the lessening of prejudice.Moral decline will not be reversed until people find ways to counter the materialism in society, she says. "Slowly, you recognize that the things that matter are those that can"t be bought." The moral decline of American society is caused mainly by ______.
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