To work or not to work...

My husband and I have a difficult choice to make: do I continue to work after birth or not? I have to give an answer to my boss by January 2018, which really isn’t that far away.

I’m only a part-time Library Specialist for a local college and as a result, I do not get any maternity leave. I have no PTO or sick leave and I am not guaranteed a job if I take a larger period off (as in more than 2-3 weeks).

That is all secondary when talking about the price of childcare in my area. The average price of good childcare (as in not in a bad neighborhood and at a verified childcare facility) for an infant is about $22,000-$25,000/year. I only make about $18,000 after taxes. It is at that point that you have to wonder is going back to work even fiscally sound. I don’t think it is.

I hate that I live in a country who doesn’t care about their women during and after pregnancy, and only focuses on their unborn child. When will these old white men in control of our country realize that by taking care of mothers you are taking care of the children who are the future.

UGH.