Never mind needs of boys | GazetteXtra
Never mind needs of boys
Kathleen Parker Wednesday, March 18, 2009
WASHINGTON  With a flick of his pen, President Barack Obama finally laid to rest Freud’s most famous question and iterated one of man’s hardest-won lessons: Women want what women want.
Oh, well, irony is hardly a stranger to gender. Neither are exaggeration and myth. If I may…
Where’s the White House Council on Men and Boys? OK, let men fend for themselves. But boys really do need our attention, not only for themselves but for the girls who will be their wives (we hope) someday. We do still hope that boys and girls grow up to marry, don’t we? Preferably before procreating?
Otherwise, wage differences can be explained by “observable differences in the attributes of men and women,” including, among many, the fact that a greater percentage of women than men take leave for childbirth and child care, which tends to lead to lower wages. Also, women may place more value on “family-friendly” workplace policies and prefer nonwage compensation, such as health insurance or flexibility.