Not all work that we do in our society is a paid job. Women tend to do more of this type of work which goes unpaid. Women do the majority of the reproductive labor. Like cooking, cleaning and childcare. The work that we do is important, society places value on it. However, the current market does not. This is a flaw in our system.
During the slave-owning plantation era, female slaves were priced by the slave traders for reproductive labor value. A slave with one child was considered more valuable because she was fertile and had survived childbirth, which meant she would likely survive again. Not only was she considered more valuable, but her offspring were as well. This was way back in the 1700-1800’s and they were measuring the value of women as child birthing labor machines. So this is not a new idea by any means.
As a society, we know that more attentive caretakers are important to a child’s well-being and development. But how does anyone expect us to spend more time with our children when we are forced to place them in daycare and go to work just to survive? This is where Andrew Yang’s Freedom Dividend comes into play.
A two person household will be bringing in an extra $2,000 a month. That is a serious game changer for many families. Often times, a working mother doesn’t even make $2,000 a month, especially if you take out the cost of daycare and commuting. The Freedom Dividend may allow her to quit her job and stay home where she can focus on more of those reproductive labor duties. If a mother chooses not to quit her job, this extra $2,000 per month can be used to buy shoes, clothes and necessities for the child. Her family could go on more vacations and have more family outings. The Freedom Dividend also allows parents to spend more money on extracurricular activities like sports or music lessons.
The Freedom Dividend is especially empowering to single mothers. It may allow a single mom to reduce her work hours and spend more time with her kids. It may allow her to pursue higher education, which may have been previously impossible due to childcare and living expenses. She could also go on more vacations and pay for extracurriculars. More money in the hands of moms means more growth for their local economy as well. Spending more money and purchasing more products will create new opportunities for everyone in the community.
One of the most impactful ways Andrew Yang’s Freedom Dividend empowers women is by giving women the choice to leave an abusive or exploitative relationship. It’s hard enough to survive on a two-person income, paying bills by yourself becomes an almost impossible obstacle for the average woman. With the Freedom Dividend, women would be able to become less financially dependent on their partners, allowing them to secure other housing options. I know several women who are currently in relationships where their partner is abusive, either verbally or physically. When you ask them why they won’t leave their men, they say things like:
“I can’t afford to rent my own place” or “I don’t have my own car or the money to buy one.”
These problems are simple to solve and it’s ridiculous that we haven’t done so already.
What about exploitative jobs? Sex work is a common avenue used to create an exploitative relationship with women. Sometimes women enter into sex work for survival. Often times these women are homeless and are just trying to meet their basic needs like shelter, food and hygiene. With $1000 a month, they would be able to meet those needs and pursue other options if they wanted to. Personally, I think we should decriminalize sex work along with the Freedom Dividend. This would give current sex workers more options and freedom. They would also be able to obtain medical care when they needed it and report assaults without the fear of prosecution.
What about creating jobs? $1000 a month also aids in creating more female entrepreneurs. That extra monthly income would let women start up small businesses doing things they’re actually passionate about. Things they enjoy doing. Not a job where they’re putting boxes on shelves all day. A robot can do that. Robots are doing that. $1000 can buy supplies for handmade jewelry and crafts. It can buy art supplies, you can buy a new camera for photography. You could even set yourself up with some decent recording equipment to do YouTube videos and tutorials.
Personally, I used to have a little side cake business where my husband and I would make custom cakes by order for our local community. There are supplies that I could have used to make decorating way more cost efficient and less time consuming but I didn’t have the extra money to invest in it. And imagine how much our business would have grown as well. Every adult in our community, which was rural to begin with, would have an extra $1000 per month. I know our business would have grown because people have told me that they would love to get a custom cake for their occasion but they can’t afford to pay me what I charge. If I charge much less, I won’t be making any money. I can’t compete with a $30 grocery store cake when people are short on cash. But with the economic boost that the Freedom Dividend gives all of us, we can afford to purchase these types of things. I could have even quit working at my wage slave job and just focus on my small businesses in this type of environment. That would allow me to be home more and spend more time with my famiy.
Let's discuss volunteer work. Women love volunteering. It’s a fact. We volunteer at higher rates than men consistently. With 29.4% of women VS 23% of men volunteering. With the Freedom Dividend, we would have more time to devote to volunteer work. Volunteer work connects us to other people in our communities. It increases social skills, it increases self confidence because when you are doing good for others, it gives you a natural sense of accomplishment. Kind of like a “Hey, I did some awesome shit today, I made a difference in someone’s life.” Of course it’s gonna make you feel good. Which reduces stress and makes you happier.
Now let’s talk about safety. How many women carry some form of personal protection in their purse or hidden in their clothing? Some women don’t feel safe walking around in their own communities. Especially those that live in impoverished neighborhoods. A higher crime rate coincides with a higher poverty rate. Studies show that when we give people money, stress levels decrease and overall crime significantly decreases as well, by up to 40%. That’s a huge deal. With the Freedom Dividend reaching everyone around us, our communities will become safer and women will be able to feel more confident in themselves, their choices and the environment around them.
Overall, what does female empowerment come down to? It comes down to the ability to say yes or no, to choose. This is exactly what the Freedom Dividend does for us. It gives us the ability to choose.
If you are interested in learning even more about Andrew Yang, be sure to check out yang2020.com. I have also posted several links below where you can learn more about all the things I talked about in this article.
And I wanna know what YOU would do with your $1000 a month Freedom Dividend. Please let me know in the comments!
Much love.