01-16-2011, 04:50 PM
How Society Discriminates Against Childfree and Childless Individuals: An Opinion
This article is about how society discriminates against childfree and childless individuals, and the persecutions that people who are childless or childfree face in the society we live in. Benefits that people who have
children receive are discussed, and how to make those policies less discriminatory toward childless and childfree individuals.
People with children receive many benefits, including, but not limited to: federal and state tax breaks; being looked at for promotions ahead of people without children; more likely to receive government benefits such as disability, food stamps, housing assistance, utility bill assistance, and so on; more likely to be voted into office when running for political office than their non-parent counterparts; higher respect from coworkers, family members, and society in general; priority for time off; priority at hospitals and medical clinics. This is really great if you're a parent or legal guardian of someone under the age of eight-teen. However, not everyone is able to have children, right now or ever, and not everyone wants to have children at all. Because of the fact that not everyone has, or wants to have, children, these policies are discriminatory.
These parent-favoring policies are discriminatory against childless and childfree people because they single out one group (parents) and give them a large number of benefits that other groups of people do not receive.
It would not be as discriminatory if, for instance, childless or childfree individuals were able to claim pet care costs on their taxes; child status wasn't considered when job promotions were handed out; the government didn't give preference to parents with no regard to non-parents who need assistance; the public and society put less importance on having children and paid closer attention to the politics of the person they're voting for; society put less emphasis on having kids, no matter what; childfree and/or childless individuals were able to take time off work to care for a pet the same way that parents are allowed to take off work to care for a child; hospitals didn't put emphasis on parental status when it came to organ transplants.
As a childfree woman, I have dealt with discrimination because of my child status. I was denied a disability claim because I didn't have children. People I thought were my friends turned their backs on me when I said I wasn't going to have children because, according to them, it was too weird and something was wrong with me. Family members insist I will change my mind and do not take my opinion and choices seriously. My choice not to have children is constantly questioned and needled at, despite the fact that I have very solid reasons for being childfree and it's really no one's business what I do with my reproductive organs. You wouldn't question someone's choice to have children but my choice not to have children is questioned on a daily basis by society, so-called friends, and family members.
I will discuss the reasons I am childfree for those who are curious, as I imagine many people reading this might be. For starters, I have several limiting and severe health problems, many of which are genetic and even more genetic problems run in my family; because of this I feel it would be unfair, personally, for me to have children and risk their health. The type of parent I see myself being is far from ideal, so I'm sparing a hypothetical child the misery of growing up with me as a parent. I also find being around children, especially babies and young children, to be incredibly stressful and could not imagine trying to live with one (or more) kids. And, finally, I just plain don't want to have kids. My reasons for not having children are not universal and not everyone who is childfree would share those reasons. Like everyone, childfree people are different and have different life-goals and desires. And childless or childfree people shouldn't face discrimination because of these choices and goals.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...tml?cat=25
This article is about how society discriminates against childfree and childless individuals, and the persecutions that people who are childless or childfree face in the society we live in. Benefits that people who have
children receive are discussed, and how to make those policies less discriminatory toward childless and childfree individuals.
People with children receive many benefits, including, but not limited to: federal and state tax breaks; being looked at for promotions ahead of people without children; more likely to receive government benefits such as disability, food stamps, housing assistance, utility bill assistance, and so on; more likely to be voted into office when running for political office than their non-parent counterparts; higher respect from coworkers, family members, and society in general; priority for time off; priority at hospitals and medical clinics. This is really great if you're a parent or legal guardian of someone under the age of eight-teen. However, not everyone is able to have children, right now or ever, and not everyone wants to have children at all. Because of the fact that not everyone has, or wants to have, children, these policies are discriminatory.
These parent-favoring policies are discriminatory against childless and childfree people because they single out one group (parents) and give them a large number of benefits that other groups of people do not receive.
It would not be as discriminatory if, for instance, childless or childfree individuals were able to claim pet care costs on their taxes; child status wasn't considered when job promotions were handed out; the government didn't give preference to parents with no regard to non-parents who need assistance; the public and society put less importance on having children and paid closer attention to the politics of the person they're voting for; society put less emphasis on having kids, no matter what; childfree and/or childless individuals were able to take time off work to care for a pet the same way that parents are allowed to take off work to care for a child; hospitals didn't put emphasis on parental status when it came to organ transplants.
As a childfree woman, I have dealt with discrimination because of my child status. I was denied a disability claim because I didn't have children. People I thought were my friends turned their backs on me when I said I wasn't going to have children because, according to them, it was too weird and something was wrong with me. Family members insist I will change my mind and do not take my opinion and choices seriously. My choice not to have children is constantly questioned and needled at, despite the fact that I have very solid reasons for being childfree and it's really no one's business what I do with my reproductive organs. You wouldn't question someone's choice to have children but my choice not to have children is questioned on a daily basis by society, so-called friends, and family members.
I will discuss the reasons I am childfree for those who are curious, as I imagine many people reading this might be. For starters, I have several limiting and severe health problems, many of which are genetic and even more genetic problems run in my family; because of this I feel it would be unfair, personally, for me to have children and risk their health. The type of parent I see myself being is far from ideal, so I'm sparing a hypothetical child the misery of growing up with me as a parent. I also find being around children, especially babies and young children, to be incredibly stressful and could not imagine trying to live with one (or more) kids. And, finally, I just plain don't want to have kids. My reasons for not having children are not universal and not everyone who is childfree would share those reasons. Like everyone, childfree people are different and have different life-goals and desires. And childless or childfree people shouldn't face discrimination because of these choices and goals.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...tml?cat=25