Why Do the People Raising Our Children Earn Poverty Wages?

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/hard-times-usa/why-do-people-raising-our-children-earn-poverty-wages



he following article first appeared on the Nation.com. For more great content from the Nation, sign up for their email newsletters here.

Shanita Hargrove lives in a sunny second-floor apartment in Newark, New Jersey, not far from Mayor Cory Booker’s house and, all too often, an electric roadside sign marking a recent homicide. On a winter morning, she was caring for two infants: 7-month-old Shawn and 5-month-old Jade, whose older sister had been with Hargrove years before. The babies were in and out of sleep, lying faceup on a colorful trio of yoga mats.
 
Hargrove handles children with the easy skill of a baker handling dough. She leans Shawn against her wide bosom, cooing in a Southern alto. She massages his back and feet and lightly touches his neck, which stimulates good hormones, she says.

She’s been in this work a long time, having helped raise her younger brothers in North Carolina. “The majority of us providers, you’ll find out, were taking care of children when we were children ourselves,” she tells me.

As an adult, Hargrove found herself in New Jersey, the single parent of a young son and daughter, working days as an office manager and nights in fast food. “The hardest part was being separate from them for that long, even more than the hours and being drained.

[TheMastersNemesis]

1. That Is Because We Are Becoming A Low Wage Country For 80% Of The American Work Force

[raccoon]

2. Also, why Do the People Taking Care of Our Elderly Earn Poverty Wages?

Most people claim to want the best care for their elderly and their kids....but these people don't
make squat.

[theHandpuppet]

3. Because it's considered a woman's job

As opposed to, say, a real man's job where you can ride a skateboard or throw a ball and make millions.

[Brigid]

4. Because caring for children and the elderly . . .

Is not valued in this society.

[daleanime]

5. Close.....

"People" are not valued in this society, only money.

[bemildred]

6. Because we don't care about them. All we care about is the money. nt

[live love laugh]

7. Rampant greed. nt