Economic Justice and the "Mommy

Economic Justice and the "Mommy Track": Are They Headed in the Same Direction? The concept of economic justice has been interpreted and defined a variety of ways by a wide array of theorists. The dominant economic theory of the past, i.e. classical economics, has evolved into what is now considered to be neo-classical economics. Classical economists believed that the pursuit of individual self-interest generated the greatest possible economic welfares for society as a whole.

They additionally asserted that the economy is either in a state of equilibrium at all times, or is at least working toward that state. The school of economics that evolved into neo-classical economics believed in economic welfare as a derivative of a free market (Shaw, 2007) For libertarian economist John Rawls, economic justice is based on compliance with social cooperation. As William Shaw points out, Rawls' perception of economic justice entails the right of every individual to earn a high enough income to adequately support themselves and their families.

However, Rawls does not impose limits on these rights to earn, and does not disparage earning more than is necessary to sustain a basic lifestyle. For utilitarian John Stuart Mill the primary concern of economic justice was with the issue of civil liberty, which centers on recognizing to what extent man can legitimately be controlled and have his freedom restrained. Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory, meaning that it is based is the belief that actions or rules should be evaluated in accordance with their potential consequences.

These consequences are typically measured by their intrinsic "goodness." Thus, for those with a consequentialist perspective, the degree of harm associated with a decision or action is of tremendous significance (Shaw, 2007). In contrast to the consequentialist position is the deontological or non-consequentialist position, which is most closely associated with Immanuel Kant. The non-consequentialist position asserts that certain moral obligations remain intact regardless of their empirical consequences. Finally, egoism, which is a teleological theory, holds that it is the duty of the individual to seek his own good.

According to Shaw, this stance emphasizes the individual's ability to control only his own actions as opposed to controlling the actions of others. Considering that my chosen topic, "the mommy track," is based on maximizing freedom for the sake of economic gain, I believe the consequentialist theory of utilitarianism would provide the richest analysis.

Application of Theory to Selected Topic Women of the 21st century are no longer striving to be "superwomen" or "soccer moms." Instead many women are opting for the "mommy track" in which they either work flexible or part-time hours through their company, work for their company from home, or start their own business in which they can choose their own hours. Kimberly Palmer of U.S.

News and World Reports submits that "31% of organizations allow employees to work from home or off site on a regular basis, and 73% allow extended career breaks for family responsibilities, according to a survey by the Families and Work Institute" (2). Generally, speaking the "mommy track" has women working fewer hours than in the past, or at the very least, more flexible hours. Family time has taken priority over income, which is a complete reversal of trends that started in the 1980s.

So how does this affect the pursuit of economic equilibrium? According to the principles of utilitarianism, an action can only be justifiable if it is the best possible option for society overall, regardless of the individual's personal desires. Therefore from this perspective, the wishes of the individual must be forsaken for the greater good.

Therefore, the "mommy track" trend has to be examined as to whether mothers spending more time with their children is better for the overall welfare of society, or if mothers making more money and producing more in the business world is better for the overall welfare of society. The question is, how does one decide which path is more beneficial? John Stuart Mill in Utilitarianism in the Philosophy of J.S.

Mill, raised similar concerns when he stated: "…any, even unintentional, deviation from truth does that much toward weakening the truth-worthiness of human assertion, which is not only the principal of all present social well-being but the insufficiency of which does more than any one thing that can be named to keep back civilization, virtue, everything on which human happiness on the largest scale depends" (p. 349).

Considering that human happiness is a subjective commodity that varies for every individual in its "truth," then whether or not one perceives the mommy track trend to be in line with utilitarian principles ultimately depends on one's personal definition of the greater good. From the utilitarian perspective (i.e.

Mill), the wishes of the individual must be forsaken for the long-term "big picture." Thus in this view, although a mother may experience an initial loss in income by choosing to spend more quality time raising her children, in the long run (at least theoretically) society will benefit from having more well-adjusted children. These children will grow up an make up for the financial burdens initially applied by the mother working less, because they are better raised and therefore more likely to be productive members of society.

Therefore the investment of spending more time with the children represents a reasonable choice that is aligned with utilitarian perspectives. So while it may be difficult to determine whether contributing to the productive workforce is more of a moral priority than spending quality time with family, when one compares the long-term with the short-term, the vision of the 'greater good' becomes much clearer. After all, the greater good is not just about the actual number of people, but also the long-term consequences vs. The short-term consequences.

AT the same time, however, one must consider what the consequences are of the mommy track on the glass ceiling. Women.