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The Forum > Article Comments > Single mothers and the sexual contract > Comments

Single mothers and the sexual contract : Comments

By Petra Bueskens, published 21/2/2013

This of course is part of a deeper problem that our social contract is underscored with a 'sexual contract' presupposing a gendered division of labour.

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Surely it is ironic that an article about single parenting is based on misconceptions…

But haven't you got the social contract thing wrong?

"Because in a liberal-democratic society, which is defined by, and rightly takes pride in, individual rights for all, this makes some individuals – the childfree and the married – "more equal than others". It means that the a priori assumption of freedom and equality for all is not maintained for those (female) individuals who are raising children outside the institution of marriage…"

Surely the assumption of freedom is that of freedom from government interference? That is, the government's freedom from the responsibility for your individual actions and choices.

In other words, there is no problem with you having as many children as you can afford to raise properly.

And the complaint of inequality with the 'childfree and the married' is illogical unless you were coerced into 'raising children outside the institution of marriage'. Alternatively, if society was structured differently and you were successful in your 'Application to Breed Outside the Institution of Marriage Licence' you would have an a priori point about some being more equal than others.

I would never wish to see the innocent suffer for the decisions and actions of others, so maybe what we need as a society are things like 'divorce insurance' to cover the costs of caring for a child in the event of single parenting. Maybe a HECS style program that would provide the poor child with sufficient income now which they could repay to the government throughout their working life?

Obviously the Industrial Revolution/Victorian era option of sending them down the coal mines isn't viable in an era when we are trying to reduce fossil fuel consumption.

Your claims "that our social contract is underscored with a sexual contract"" and "It is true that single mothers are the wives of the nation" – only make sense if you were screwed by the government before you became a mother rather than afterwards.
Posted by WmTrevor, Thursday, 21 February 2013 8:41:58 AM
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Whining about not getting enough of other people's money. Shameful.
Posted by DavidL, Thursday, 21 February 2013 8:47:59 AM
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Petra, how about posting a copy of this alleged “social contract”? I’m sure I never signed it. In fact it’s a complete and utter fiction. You can only allege it exists after you have refuted each of these arguments point by point: http://economics.org.au/2010/08/no-social-contract/ Go ahead. Until you can, you are lying, and have lost the argument.

Secondly, Petra never mentions the fact that all the income she wants to get her hands on was taken from other people by threats of violence. The inequality this imposes on society, the unfair division into two classes, is far greater than any inequality or unfairness she complains about, and this negates her thesis.

Thirdly, Petra always has an option she never mentioned. She can be responsible for her own choices and her own reproductive behaviour, can’t she? Did it ever occur to her that other people, who are taking responsibility for their own reproductive behaviour, can’t have children because they are being mulcted to pay for her live at others’ expense?

Fourthly, the entire basis of her thesis is that the sexes are and should be equal. This proposition is factually untrue - hence her article. And she provides no reason why it should be.

Fifthly, she forgets that the moral and legal obligation on a man to provide for the upkeep of his offspring – let alone someone else's - is the keystone of the patriarchy she is intent on pulling down. The gist of her argument is that women should have all the advantages of the feminist dispensation and of the patriarchy, while men should have the liabilities of both. All this is to be backed by unprovoked and unequal force.

Sixthly, her income that was looted from someone more productive and responsible than her, was only “woefully inadequate” from the point of view of an entitled dependent, which she isn’t.

Prostitution is legal. Single mothers always have the option of getting child support the way they did before the dreaded patriarchy came along. Why should Petra's sexual morality be imposed by force on others against their will?
Posted by Jardine K. Jardine, Thursday, 21 February 2013 8:59:02 AM
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Wm Trevor,
Good one, I'd prepared a rant along the same lines but it's now redundant.
Petra's lifestyle choices are supported by the state and funds are taken by force (if necessary) from her ex partner, does she realise that people like my wife and I who choose to be self employed so that we're around to raise our daughters get absolutely no help from the state or any other third party?
Hey here's an idea, how about a scheme where we small business people send a copy of our invoices to the government, they pay us and then they collect the money from our debtors so that we don't have to max out our cards while waiting to be paid ?
Sound fair?
Posted by Jay Of Melbourne, Thursday, 21 February 2013 8:59:36 AM
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…The plight of the Single Mother is a subject I wholeheartedly support. This country, (under Labor, (as one would least expect)), has abandoned Single Mothers of this country in favor of financing (to the tune of billions of dollars), irrational quasi-immigration programs of boat people (by the thousands)! Single Mothers simply pay the price for this folly.

…Only this morning I endured an interview with Julia Gillard on ABC television, explaining away with the accustomed lies and half-truths, the invented wisdom of reducing the income of single families, as she unflinchingly projected the changes to single parent benefits as a “favor” to them.

…Gillard is the most “despicable” of women. She leaves Margret Thatcher in the shade for guile! In psychiatric terms Gillard would be classified psychopathic, I have not a single doubt!
Posted by diver dan, Thursday, 21 February 2013 9:22:24 AM
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As a single mother who also only has one child I am apalled at this article.

When a child goes to school the mother can return to work fulltime as there is before and after school care. Indeed there is also daycare before the child is of school age. I remember how my daugther just loved daycare because she made so many friends and had a wonderful time. I was able to spend quality time with her in the evenings and on the weekends while working full time. This continued on when she was at school with the use of before and after school care. My daughter and I have a close and loving relationship.

What did horrify me about this article is that this mother who has only one child is of the view that all single mothers should get a handout. She appears to belibe that it is her right to work part time and then get the rest of the money she needs to live from the government.

Of course not all single mothers only have one child and the more children a single mother has the more challenging it is to balance everything and make ends meet, so I am not in position to really understand how difficult it is for those mothers. However, as a single mother with only one child I have always worked full time. I do not expect handouts to make my life comfortable so I can work part time and have free time while my daugther is at school during the day. If I need money I work for it. I do not believe that I have a right to just work part time and then expect the government to subsidise me with extra funds.
Posted by Margy, Thursday, 21 February 2013 9:25:26 AM
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