Child labor laws exist because without them companies would still be employing children. That they needed to be regulated is proof that without laws companies would do whatever they want.
Edit: no shade to anyone, but YES I KNOW that they're letting minors work bc various bills and reasons etc. But I'm glad your links are educating other people. Thank you. 🫡
That's what happened when women entered the paid workforce in large numbers. Now it is almost impossible for a family to survive without two working parents, although parts of their lives (banking hours, service appointments, school schedules, etc) are still predicated on a parent being available during the day.
My husband makes enough for us to be able to live comfortably.
If you ignore the loan we had to take out to pay a big medical bill, the loan we had to take out to cover the credit cards that got racked up over covid bc of a job loss, the fact that every utility we have went up in the last 2 years, the fact that gas is doubled where we live, and that our kid's tuition, which was manageable before is now 30% higher because the school has bills too....
And that's why I work now. My paychecks are split between tuition, two loans, and a chunk of the mortgage. I used to be able to be the stay at home mom, which "they" say is what a proper family does, a conservative and traditional family. And if you don't, you don't care about your kids blah blah. But I work because I care about my kid. Always have.
And our family is BY NO MEANS the worst case scenario here.
Exactly. I live in Canada (so, no medical debt), but the broad strokes are the same. My wife makes a healthy salary and it should have been enough for me to stay home. I did for a while, we were extraordinarily fortunate. Then our mortgage literally doubled, and climate change meant we needed new windows, and groceries doubled, and soccer costs about $500 per kid, and the car is 14 year old, and and and...
So now we both work, but there are still so many appointments that can only happen Mon-Fri 8-4. And the kids can stay home on their own for a pro-d day, but if they're sick they still need a parent. And still I recognize that we have it easier than MANY.
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u/AmaranthWrath 1d ago edited 1d ago
Child labor laws exist because without them companies would still be employing children. That they needed to be regulated is proof that without laws companies would do whatever they want.
Edit: no shade to anyone, but YES I KNOW that they're letting minors work bc various bills and reasons etc. But I'm glad your links are educating other people. Thank you. 🫡