Hi all,

I don't want to stir the pot but I do want to give another perspective
being a single woman without kids. While I think that women and men
should be allowed time off for maternity/paternity leave, I think that
comparable programs should be available to single people. We might not
have a newborn to take care of but we might have aging parents, want
to help out a relative with a newborn, or backpack with our niece
throughout Europe as a college graduation present.

I understand that parents need flexible schedules and "family
frieindly" policies. But the problems I've seen is that sometimes,
single people are left to "pick up the slack" so to speak. For
example, a parent leaves early to pick up a child from an early school
dismissal but single people are asked to stay late to get work done
"because they don't have a family to take care of." Or parents get
flexible schedules and the option to work at home while childless
employees are made to stick to a set schedule and discouraged from
taking work home. (Yes, it happened to me.)

Now we realise that parents aren't going home to lounge on the couch,
but why is my time less valuable than a parent's? If we are getting
paid the same, we should all be doing the same amount of work, getting
the same amount of leave time, and be asked to put in the same amount
of overtime. I don't mind helping out and covering for parents but I
don't want to be looked down on because I ask for some extra time to
do something which isn't childcare related or want a flexible schedule
and the option to work at home like a parent has.

So regardless of what policy your museum or workplace has, I think you
need to seriously examine it and make sure it is fair to EVERYONE,
parents and non-parents a like. And don't assume that because someone
is single and doesn't have kids, they can work late or always cover
for someone who leaves early or works from home.

Deb

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