Cat Leave
I got a cat just recently. Did I get to take months off work, without needing any kind of approval from my employer who was legally required to hold my job for me, all while getting paid either by my employer or by the government? After all, cats are a lot of work and bonding time is critical, right?
Yes, I hate maternity and paternity leave, especially when it’s paid, no matter who is paying it. It’s discriminatory against those who won’t be getting that un-earned, paid vacation because they aren’t breeding. More than that, it costs money. I don’t like when tax-payer money funds unnecessary, non-health-related, personal choices which the rest of us have no say in, and I don’t like it when businesses are in a position in which they fear hiring women of reproductive age because of the risk of those women being more of a burden than an asset.
Some childfree have suggested a comparable sort of sabbatical should be offered to those without children, which, presumably, doesn’t count against paid vacation time just like maternity/paternity leave doesn’t. It’s not a bad idea from the perspective of employees, but that creates its own problems, not the least of which being the harm done to a business which might struggle to fund such a policy, especially as most businesses already offer all employees regular paid vacation time. But this just brings me to the worst thing about maternity leave is just how very unnecessary it is.
Paid vacation and at least some paid sick time would be something all employees at a particular job and position already have equally. Use it. Maternity leave could go away entirely and people could just use their vacation time, no matter what reason they have for taking off. If their job offers no paid vacation time, or if they don’t qualify yet, or if the amount of paid vacation time offered just is not enough, then they should act like a responsible adults and WAIT to have children, or accept leave without pay. It’s really and truly just that simple.
I don’t blame any parent who takes advantage of the perks of paid baby leave. If I could get a paid vacation for my cat, despite the fact that me having a cat does not benefit my employer in any way, I’d probably take it. Who turns down free money, honestly? No, I blame society for making people think that giving certain segments of society special, preferential treatment not afforded to others equally somehow constitutes equality, or fairness. It doesn’t.
To put it simply, I do not think that anyone’s right to have children should mean that they are owed anything by anyone, especially since no one else gets any say in the matter.
Posted on 2012/11/03, in childfree and tagged childfree. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
Totally agree. Kittens or puppies, or acclimating an adult dog or cat into a new household, especially homes that already have resident dogs or cats, takes WORK. I didn’t expect people to bring me casseroles or help with clean-up each time we adopted a new cat. I certainly didn’t expect my husband to take time off from his job to help me. It would have been a completely different story if it had been a baby, because that’s what society expects and what society has come to accept. Great post.
I recently got a new kitten, and she is a ton of work. I’d happily take time off of work to raise a creature. But there is a difference, I saved a life of a being that would otherwise have been euthanized. People create children, and expect to be able to leave work because of it. Not that I’m calling myself Mother Teresa, but which of our activities are contributing to the taxation on the planet and society?
Thank you, thank you, for posting this!
Where I work, we don’t have anything special for that. People use up what paid leave they have, and then there is FMLA. I have no beef with FMLA, because I have had to use it, it is unpaid leave, and it does not discriminate.
As for pets, my supervisors are pretty cool about it. I only mention needing time off FOR MY PETS in an emergency, like when one of my cats died a couple of weeks ago (it was expected.) I had to take the morning off to take her body to the crematory and make arrangements. Usually pet-related stuff is a “household emergency,” otherwise, because a lot of people are just not cool about pets “being people, too.”
Congrats on the new kitty!
A very sensible, logical and well written piece !!