One reason why people won’t work is that we have a society that doesn’t meet the needs of families. For instance:
–Both partners are expected to work from 8 to 5. But schools here close at 3:00 or 3:30 pm, which means that they are frequently without supervision for 2-3 hours, unless there is a grandparent nearby or there is affordable childcare.
–The dental office frequently closes at 4. Many medical clinics don’t open on Friday or they close at noon.
–If kids are involved in activities, they are kept at school as late as 9:30 pm in Worth County’s case due to scheduling conflicts.
And then they wonder why so many kids are turning to drugs and gangs. When we student taught at Worth County, Mr. Healy, the Principal, was not very strict with us. But one exception he was adamant about was the need to supervise the kids at all times. One reason employers have an obligation to pay a living wage is so that families can have one partner at home, ensuring proper supervision of kids.
And then they wonder why test scores are so low. If a kid comes home tired late at night because of a bunch of activities that ran late, or they were unsupervised for much of the day because the parents were gone working, you can’t reasonably expect them to perform well on a high-stakes test.
The reason why so many people are reluctant to go back to work after COVID is because they have had it with a society which expects us to work longer harder hours for less pay. If at all possible, people need to work. But employers need to pay a living wage.
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