Children first, career later

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Dear Editor,

Having a child can significantly alter the working lives of more than half of the women who are between the ages of 30 and 44. They are obliged to reduce their working hours, or in other cases, to leave work temporarily or even permanently. Children alone do not explain the difficulty of reconciling work and family. It also depends on female employment rates and on the low fertility of 1.34 children per woman.

Member states of the European Parliament have a high fertility rate and register to have the highest female employment rates in comparison to countries which are not members of the European Union. An interesting fact for Spain relating to birth rates is that about 37 per cent of women workers have temporary contracts while the EU average is only 15.5 per cent.

In a young family, it is common for both spouses to have a temporary contract, which influences their child-related plans. Most women of the EU believe that the ideal family model is one where both spouses have similar professions and share the child-care responsibilities that go with being a parent. However, less than half of the families experience such an ideal situation.

Being a working woman does not impede childbearing or having a big family. A 20th century author shares his opinion on work and family by reminding parents "not to doubt having a big family, because what is important in life is not to search for professional success, but to transmit to your children human and Christian values, which give true meaning to our human existence".

In this decadent society, children have to be valued for their entire dimension and transcendence as developing humans. Unfortunately, some adults seem to have a special tendency to go "against nature", thus degrading or even killing, through abortion, a child's physical and moral integrity. Such mothers must never forget that those developing children in their wombs are God's and not theirs.

"Childhood misadventures can impact a child's entire life and can leave an inexhaustible fountain of melancholy in their hearts," says author P Brulat.

Clemente Ferrer

Madrid, Spain

clementeferrer3@gmail.com