I'm trying out an argument here and looking for feedback.
The feminist position on parenting is as follows: Men and women should have equal choices when it comes to work and caregiving.
Historically, feminists have advocated for employment policies that support women who choose to have a family and want to work. These include: paid maternity leave, available and affordable childcare, re-entry possibilities for women who leave the workforce while their kids are small and so have gaps on their resume, and flex time. In academia, policies have included allowing for a delay on the tenure clock for women who have children.
Men should have the same range of choices.
That they do not, frequently, is not because feminists are discriminating against men (as claimed by Men's Rights Advocates), but because patriarchy still forces men and women into binaries in which male caregiving is abnormal.
Does this work? What else do I need to say here?
