.. contined...

The most struggling group is the welfare-dependant single woman. The government welfare bribes provide a strong incentive for her to have many many children, and to remain a struggling single mother by choice.

How many capable, successfull intelligent women could manage with 8 children? Now imagine that you are below average intelligence with limited work or life experience, living in a disadvantaged suburb, with a string of "mummies-new-boyfriends" instead of a stable husband to help? Sadly, her children are likely to grow up in a family where she can't provide good parenting for her many many children.

We need to help professional parents afford the children they want. We need to make children reduce your tax. Get rid of family Tax A and B, Baby bonus, maternity leave, parenting payment, child-care benefit and childcare rebate and instead simply make children reduce your tax...

Then you can choose how to live your life and the costs of children would be fairly spread across the community

Vanka <"So would you think nurses should be paid more, and who should pay this extra?"

I always think nurses should be paid more, whether they are new mums or not!
Who doesn't think they should be paid more in their job?

"And should nurses be taking more than 18 weeks maternity leave?"

Do you mean paid maternity leave?
If so, not really.
I would only expect the same paid maternity leave as any other mother gets.
Why are you asking?

partTimeParent, this thread is about paid maternity leave for working mothers, and is not about single mothers on welfare.

I agree that we need to help professional people have more children if they wish, which is partly why paid maternity leave was introduced.

Don't know what all the fuss is about.

The cost of maternity leave wouldn't be a problem if those pesky women just stopped having babies.

Then we could focus on the hidden cost of men who get colds and the impact on their working lives.

Suzanonline,
"Why do you ask"

I’m tending to think that the article is slightly Marxist/feminist, with a view that children should be raised by their mother and the state.

The author makes no mention of fathers, possibly under the influence of feminist doctrine with its “women and their children”.

In general, the least impoverished children will live with their natural mother AND father.

No other model has proven better than that model.

I also don't believe 18 weeks maternity leave is enough, as after that 41/2 months, its off to the day care center for that child.

Should this happen, it will more than likely place the child under state care (and the Marxist/feminist ideal of raising children becomes at least half fulfilled)

Ammonite <"Then we could focus on the hidden cost of men who get colds and the impact on their working lives."

Lol Ammonite : )

Vanna, words escape me with your comments sometimes.
You always seem to read the worst into anything written on any thread that remotely discusses women.

Sigh......

Suzanonline,
In a feminist society, everyone has to keep on their guard.

Otherwise, mothers just become human incubators, and of course fathers do not exist.