Our unjust economy
Pansy, thanks for posting from Rerum Novarum. The Church's social teaching is so rich, and so little known. I wish I had time to research and post more on the just wage, but I just can't do it today. I apologize in advance for this very off-the-cuff post.....
There are so many injustices in the mix when families truly can't afford to have a parent at home with their children. Is the breadwinner not being paid enough? There is a great quote on this (I think in Rerum Novarum), something to the effect of "if the worker is not paid justly for his labor, what's he supposed to do?" Jobs are growing more and more uncertain, and it's getting harder and harder to find work (particularly if you don't have a college education.) Those who have vocations to marriage and parenthood have the right to live them out. Children have the right to their mothers' milk and their parents' care.
Of course, we also have responsibilities. We have the responsibility to conceive our children in the protective covenant of marriage. We have the responsiblity to go to school and develop our skills and talents. And we have the responsibility to make sure that our needs and the needs of our families are met before we pursue our wants.
Did the social changes of the sixties help get us into this pickle? The radical feminists told us that women were oppressed by staying home. Women entered the labor market in huge numbers, and that surely must have driven down wages for everyone. Business must love having all that cheap labor -- plus the increased demand for provision of goods and services that were previously provided by SAHMs, plus the increased demand for "stuff" from people who had more money to spend (or thought they did.) The problem feeds on itself as the high number of two-income families drives up the cost of living, especially the cost of housing.
