Work-testing single parents apparently part of the feminist plan

The following is in cached form only. The site has disappeared. Over the years I have heard bits and pieces about the 'sisterhood' conspiracy but haven't seen it laid out in print (I don't read Wishart). Not sure I follow the logic re the motivations of government and cannot tell whether the writer approves or disapproves of feminism. But the way I see it, work-testing single parents should strengthen the family in the long-term, which would be a blow for the radical feminists who sought to destroy it as an institution. Why? Because many women want to raise their children personally and to do that they need a supportive partner.


Single mothers are being forced to work - but why?
By Julie, on May 21st, 2010

There’s quite a few single mothers unhappy with our leading single mother, MP Paula Bennett at the moment for her openness about single mothers working when their children turn 6 years of age. If you walked into a WINZ office and said MP Paula Bennett was terrific, you’d cop it from both sides of the counter.

The strangest part is that single parents have been forced to work for years yet it’s been so subtle, they’ve not noticed it. I can only assume single mothers on the DPB thought everything they’ve been offered over the past years was to make their life more comfortable and to give them choices. Maybe, they’ve never stopped to question what the cost would be.

Well, I think it would be a good time to look at the bigger picture and explore the reasons government would give money away – after all, they would never do it unless there was a pay-off for them whether cost saving or profit…… Funny, single parents do both. Anyways, the first thing I’d liked to share is a bit of history because to understand the present and future, you need to understand the past.

Divorce


In England prior to 1857, only an Act of Parliament could permit a full divorce allowing remarriage and it could only take place in England. This was very expensive so 10 years later the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act was passed in New Zealand which meant the judgement on divorce proceedings was passed over to the courts where it had to be heard in Wellington before three judges. A husband could divorce his wife on the grounds of her adultery while a wife could divorce for cruelty, desertion or bigamy. In 1881, it was changed from three judges to one judge and all the way up to 1968 law changes were made to give up to 24 grounds of divorce and lessen the time to wait.

Divorce rates rapidly rose in the 60′s and 70′s with all these new ‘faults’ as ground for divorce, making the way for even further changes. In 1980 the Family Proceedings Act was passed that removed divorce from the High Court to the newly created Family Court where for legal purposes, the term divorce became ‘dissolution of marriage’, and with it came ‘No fault’ where an application for dissolution on the grounds that the marriage had broken down irreconcilably, could be made jointly or by either the husband or wife, provided they could satisfy the two-year separation requirement.

There were 4 divorces in 1857 while now one third to 50% of marriages end in divorce (research varies). Added to this are women and men living in de facto relationships, women by choice being solo mothers through sperm donation and men being solo fathers through surrogacy.

Benefits

The Old Age Pensions Act 1898 established the basis of the present welfare system. During the following 30 years the pension system was extended to include widows (1911), Maori War veterans (1912), miners (1915), and the blind (1924), while the size of the pensions was steadily increased and conditions of payment were made less stringent, though always subject to a means test. In 1926 family allowances were introduced at the rate of 2s. per week for each child in excess of two, again subject to means testing.

The passing of the Social Security Act 1938 allowed for welfare to be extended for anyone in hardship including unemployment, sickness and invalids. The principle of the means test was abandoned with respect to superannuation benefits and medical benefits and, to emphasise the contributory nature of the scheme, the term “benefit” was substituted for the terms “pension” and “allowance”.

The 1973 Social Security Amendment Act introduced the Domestic Purposes Benefit to New Zealand’s social welfare system so that widows and single mothers could stay at home to take care of their children. Today there is 97,000 single parents on the DPB and in the year ending 2009, 10,000 extra single parents applied for the DPB.

Feminism and single mothers

“The nuclear family must be destroyed… Whatever its ultimate meaning, the break-up of families now is an objectively revolutionary process.” — Linda Gordon

“Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the women’s movement must concentrate on attacking this institution. Freedom for women cannot be won without the abolition of marriage.” — Sheila Cronin, the leader of the feminist organization NOW

“Marriage as an institution developed from rape as a practice.” — Andrea Dworkin
“In order to raise children with equality, we must take them away from families and communally raise them”

(Dr. Mary Jo Bane, feminist and assistant professor of education at Wellesley College, and associate director of the school’s Centre for Research on Woman).

I want to see young women who come right out of school and start running for office or start moving into some positions where they will be able to shape the institutions that define our culture. And so if there are men who just don’t get it, then they’re just going to have to get it. —Patricia Ireland
“No woman should be authorized to stay at home and raise her children. Society should be totally different. Women should not have that choice, precisely because if there is such a choice, too many women will make that one.”

— Interview with Simone de Beauvoir, “Sex, Society, and the Female Dilemma,” Saturday Review, June 14, 1975, p.18
How does feminism affect women today?

Feminist and Communist Kay Goodger attended the first-ever feminist United Women’s Convention as well as Helen Clark, Margaret Wilson, Marilyn Waring and Silvia Cartwright along with nearly 2 thousand other women.

From this convention came the attack on the traditional family. It was concluded if they could crush the family, break it down or have it sidelined as irrelevant or portrayed as no better than other methods of child rearing, radical feminism could set the agenda for centuries to come.

Goodger’s 1973 plan was to make a utopian future for “Amazonian” reflecting what she believed was once a reality. She called on radical feminists to do all they could within political parties, government departments and communities.

Goodger back in 1973 knew that if women could work and children were raised in childcare the family would suffer a body blow. Radical feminists following this woman are intending to have Government funded 24 hour a day childcare. As of 1st July 2007, 20 free hours daycare was given in Australia and New Zealand and Europe with Australia forcing single mothers on the DPB to work and New Zealand encouraging women to decide for themselves work is the right choice. Sweden has compulsory childcare from the age of 1.

Margaret Shields says, “We began to reorganise the Women’s Section of the Party so that it became an agent for change; through organising, training and encouraging women to take a larger, more strategic role in politics” She says things are not done by accident.

This was the 30 year plan the sisterhood made from their list of demands.

Abortion to be free and on demand DONE
Sex education/Birth control at all levels DONE
An end to coercive family laws DONE
De facto relationships to have same status as marriage DONE
The rearing and education should be from society not parents BEING DONE TODAY
Discrimination of homosexuals outlawed DONE
Abolish laws victimising prostitutes DONE
Paid maternity of 12 weeks without loss of seniority or job DONE
Free Government paid 24 hours a day child care for all children from infancy NOT DONE
Reference: Investigate Magazine, May 2005, page 39.

Kay Goodger is now a senior Government advisor on policy initiatives earning hundreds of dollars an hour in pay, still mixing with Marxist organisations in Europe and is mentioned in dispatches on the website of the Portuguese Communist Party.

Margaret Sheilds is a former Minister of Customs and organised the 2005 conference for women.

Helen Clark was New Zealand’s Prime Minister and now works in the United Nations making a global tax.

Margaret Wilson first entered Parliament on the Labour Party list in 1999 and gained a Ministerial post immediately after her election. Her Ministerial positions included Attorney-General, Minister of Labour, Minister responsible for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations and Minister of Commerce. She was elected the first woman Speaker of New Zealand’s House of Representatives in March 2005 and was re-elected Speaker in November, 2005

Marilyn Waring is Ruth Richardson’s replacement on the board of directors of the Reserve Bank.

Silvia Cartwright became the 18th governor general of New Zealand. She also became the first female high court judge.

As you can see, single mothers working and placing their children in childcare is a feminists issue. It doesn’t matter if the left or right wing political parties have power for either way, women will proceed with the plans of feminists from 1966.

Another factor to be considered

The DPB traps single parents in poverty as it’s just a means to make ends meet. On top of this, working part-time does not add extra wealth but rather takes away extra money single parents receive such as accommodation supplement, disability, childcare costs and temporary additional support. It can also put a single parent above the financial level to receive a community service card.

There is no other way to get many single parents out to work than forcing them when they see no benefit financially to work.

Bottom line, you be the judge on whether this is MP Paula Bennett’s fault or whether she is just the right person in the right place at the right time to make further progress for women’s rights.