Greek housewives should be supported
No doubt exists that the bombshell dropped by the main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou, just a few days before citizens go to the polls – namely a pledge to grant a monthly pension of 550 euros to uninsured housewives – was a tactic intentionally aimed at attracting votes. In any case, the heralded plan is rather complex and confusing – on the one hand it is directed at those without any insurance; on the other, it allegedly applies to 80 percent of housewives. Yet another scenario ostensibly offers various combinations, according to individual cases. The one thing that PASOK has apparently achieved is to give the impression of social sensitivity to a large group of citizens. No one can say with any certainty whether the tactic will have the desired effect – both upon the sector of the public at which it is targeted and on the public at large. This doubt exists not just because the pledge is a pre-election maneuver (which most people are well and truly fed up with) but also because such major and essential reforms generally presuppose long and careful preparation, a study of all the parameters of the problem and a full and detailed assessment of the costs of the project – and it is unlikely that Papandreou oversaw all this groundwork prior to making his pledge. Also, it has to be said, the initiative is not even original. PASOK’s founder, the late charismatic Andreas Papandreou, made virtually same pledge at least twice himself. The current PASOK leader’s father had referred to a «social salary» for mothers and housewives without jobs as a much-deserved reward for the important role they were playing in the family, and thus for society at large. But his vision was never realized, his commitment never fulfilled. And it is probably a bad thing that a concerted effort was never undertaken to boldly tackle the major issue of motherhood and the status of the housewife in our community. Seen from this point of view, the dismissive reaction of the government to the proposed initiative (as expressed by top-ranking cadres in radio interviews) appears quite petty and narrow-minded. New Democracy officials accused PASOK of populism and asked how the opposition party would find 10 billion euros to finance such a scheme. How they figured out that such a project would cost 10 billion euros is a mystery. Did they really sit down and figure out exactly how many uninsured, unemployed housewives there are in this country today? It is true that a «socially sensitive» state should care about this category of working women – there are plenty of European countries that have demonstrated their active interest. Giving out a «social salary» is not the only possible measure. The state should also create the necessary infrastructure at every level of society in order to facilitate motherhood so that mothers can forgo employment without missing out on the protection of basic insurance, and so they can return to work after having a child. Such initiatives should be a priority, particularly in view of falling birthrates. Today most couples do not have the financial freedom to allow the woman to look after the children and not work. At least life should be made easier for working mothers.
