Yesterday there was a story about the Finnish childbearing habits and its effects on television in "45 minuuttia". I couldn't help my feelings flare up while watching it. It was probably intentionally made provocative but still...
The main thing that really bothered me was the attitude that women are socially allowed to do whatever they want with their life to certain age. The whole thing seemed to be "The Handmaid's Tale" veiled with women's freedom. As if it is our duty as women to have children and thus increase the number of children being born (and the number of future tax payers, obviously). This of course further reinforces the patriarchal norms and, more importantly, the way the heteronormative society views women and their position in the contemporary society.
It seems that there are several things the authorities have, conveniently enough, ignored when it comes to the financial level of having children. First, the child allowance has remained the same for ages. Even though the allowance does increase with the number of children (with about ten euros more to have two children instead of one), it does NOT make difference with the children's age. Imagine having twins. You cannot reuse clothing, shoes, school and hobby accessories and such since there needs to be two of them at the same time. Obviously, this is more expensive than the allowance suggests.
Second, staying home as a home mom is not possible for a single woman. The allowance to get for that (or for cutting down working hours, too) is lower than the one an unemployed person gets daily. In all, the financial support the society gives to parent/parents has not been updated to equal with today's price level. If one happens to have a lot money BEFORE having children, it helps. Otherwise, one is doomed to be labelled statistically as 'poor'.
Let's think this in a personal level next. Let's assume I wanted to give my share to the society's expectation right now. What is my current status? I do not have a significant other, so the entire responsibility to support the household (that is, me and the child/children [fertility treatments increase the possibility of multiple pregnancies, hence the plural option]) would rest on my shoulders. I'm a student without a degree so I would get allowances as seen below. The thing that really bothers is that being a single mom without a degree I would not be getting a job very easily afterwards anywhere. The amount of the allowance is determined by one's income. Being a student I get the minimum allowance. If I waited until I had a job the allowance would be higher. So is it really a surprise people want to study and get that bloody job before having children?!
Mother allowance: 50-30 days before the expected date for 105 days, with my income = 15,20 €/day
Parent allowance: 158 days right after the mother allowance, with my income = 15,20 €/day
Child allowance: from the beginning of the month following the birth month, one child = 100 €
Total financial support per month =
8th pregnancy month: appr. 228 €
9th pregnancy month: appr. 395 €
1st month with the child: appr. 495 €
2nd month with the child: appr. 328 €
3rd -> month with the child: 100 €
And all this without any other support from anyone else. And added to the fact that I would have to use fertility treatments (ironically enough, I would have to do that whether I was a lesbian or a straight woman...) the cost of which hover around two thousand per each try, which in my case might be several. Not exactly encouraging to go through.
"45 minuuttia" titled the story with the word 'selfishness' in it. But is it really selfish not to have children to a world where the daughter can be raped and then blamed for it? Is it selfish not to have a child in a world where there is no justice, no equality, and where the tower of illusion of freedom comes tumbling down every fucking day? Is it really selfish not to force them to go through this when we, our own generation, deliberately makes things even worse? A Timo Rautianen & Trio Niskalaukaus song says that this world is not to be left to the children, but that WE have borrowed the world from the children.
I don't think the children are quite pleased of the condition the world is returned.
