National Family Week

“National Family Week” started on July 19 and ends on July 26. It reportedly has the theme of “Uplifting and Strengthening Family Ties.” On Sunday, July 20, the Department of Gender and Family Affairs partnered with the anti-rights group that hides behind religion to host what they called the “First National Marriage Recommitment Service” with the theme “Honoring the
Covenant, Strengthening the Family.” The event, promoted by Civil Society Bahamas, framedas a national event, was held at a church, continuing the discriminatory practice of the Department of Gender and Family Affairs. Rather than using these national days/weeks and any accompanying budget to promote churches and spread Christian fundamentalist practices, the
government could actually be attentive to the state of families today and assess the needs of families throughout the country.

If the government is serious about prioritizing families, it needs to get to work. Families in The Bahamas are in desperate need of support. Here are seven practical actions for the Government of The Bahamas to take in service to families and, by extension, the people of The Bahamas:

Expand family planning resources and services. People are not obligated to have children. Still, there is significant pressure, particularly on young married couples, to have children. For many, it is an expectation, regardless of the goals people have and the ways having children would affect them. Even when people have a child, they can experience the added pressure to have another child so that the one child could have a playmate and learn not to be “selfish.” People find ways to convince family members and friends who enjoy being childfree to have children, including presenting children as an appropriate form of an insurance—someone to “take care of you”, which is certainly not guaranteed. People need to be educated on the realities of
parenthood before they make the decision to become parents. They need to be exposed to the financial and non-financial costs. They also need to know the details of allowances. For example, many people do not know that they are not entitled to paid maternity leave more than once in a three-year period until they are pregnant with their second child. Family planning services should include financial information, legal information, and guidance on personal ambitions and decisions that include education, career, and lifestyle choices. There must also be readily available contraceptive methods.

Promote and increase access to parenting classes. Parenting is, in most cases, not “second nature.” It is a learned skill. While people do “learn on the job,” keeping a human being alive and healthy is not an appropriate form of training. From the basics like changing diapers and making formula and testing the temperature to making the home safe for toddlers and age-appropriate
non-violent forms of discipline, people who are considering having children and people who already have them need information and the opportunity to share their thoughts, fears, and practices and get feedback. Beyond what happens in the home, parents and people considering parenting need to learn ways to navigate difference in opinion and parenting style with family members and friends who may have significant contact with their children. Uncomfortable conversations can be easier to have with preparation.

Implement a livable wage. Families need enough money to meet their basic needs. Minimum wage is not sufficient for rent, utilities, grocery, insurance, transportation, and incidentals, much less school uniforms, books, field trips, and medication. One of the most stressful parts of family life is the mental gymnastics of using too little money to cover all of the necessities. This is not a
struggle that has to exist. Poverty does not have to exist. There is an unequal distribution of wealth. Businesses are taking advantage of workers, paying them far less than their value, and this is sanctioned by the government through its refusal to implement a livable wage. No one should work full time and not have enough money to cover their basic expenses. No family
should suffer while people hoard wealth.

Increase access to and efficiency of social assistance. Unemployment and underemployment remain issues in The Bahamas. There are people, employed and unemployed, who are not paid enough money to cover shelter and food. They should not be left to figure it out on their own, leading to people sleeping in cars, being undernourished, and relying on specials at fast food
restaurants. Social assistance needs to be easier to understand and access, and it needs to be adjusted to align with the current cost of living.

Expand public childcare services. Many families have to decide whether someone will miss a day of work to care for a child, or the child has to be left with a family member, friend, or neighbour whose suitability for childcare may not be ideal. During school breaks, there are very few options for childcare. Most camps and other activities for children are priced as luxury services. There is a need for both free, affordable, and sliding scale childcare. A government that cares about the health, safety, and wellbeing of children ensures that care is available to them, regardless of the time of year and their age.

Implement the four-day work week. Between the time spent in traffic getting to and from work and the long hours spent at work, people are tired when they get home to their families. The best part of the day, along with the highest level energy, goes to work. At home, it is time to eat, do all that is necessary to facilitate work the next day, and rest. Parents are left with little or no time to spend with their children. Couples have little or no time to spend with one another. Everything revolves around work, and work consumes the day. The five-day work week was not popular when it was presented, so we need not look for popularity in the proposal for a four-day work week. It has been successfully tests in other parts of the world, resulting in a range of
benefits. There is no reason not to explore the option of working less hours and spending more time with loved ones.

Amend the Employment Act to include paid parental leave for both parents. Maternity leave of three months is insufficient and does not align with other. The International Labor Organization, in Recommendation 191, encourages 18 weeks of maternity leave, and even this is a low bar considering the average healing time for birthing parents, the developmental stages of babies,
and the point at which daycares accept babies which is not before six months. There is no allowance for paternity leave in the law. This means men have do not have dedicated time to not only bond with their babies, but to support the mothers who are healing from a significant medical/surgical event. Parents need to be supported with paid time off following the birth of a child.

Rather than hosting events for photo opportunities and solidifying relationships with religious misleaders it expects to do its bidding during election season, the Government of The Bahamas needs to demonstrate its commitment to families. “Family Week” is of little use to families unless the government actually takes action to support them. The needs are many. Let there be action to meet them.