2006 Mothers Day Campaign:
Mothers at Work

Mother’s Day Campaign Letter-to-the-Editor Sample

Dear Editor:

All mothers love Mother’s Day: basking in our families’ love and attention, collecting hugs and kisses, breakfast in bed, the crayon-colored homemade card that brings tears to our eyes. We know our families love and appreciate us just as we love and care for them.

But what about the other 30 days in May?

Did you know that 81% of all women in the U.S. are or will become mothers? You probably could have guessed it. You probably also realize that the lion’s share of caregiving work (whether of children or other family members) is done by mothers. But did you know that the greatest predictor of poverty for women in old age is motherhood?

Caregiving work takes time - time that almost always comes in direct conflict with the time required for paid employment - time that adversely affects a mother’s financial security because when a mother is doing this important care work, she is not paying into her 401K, she is not receiving credits for her Social Security account, she is not putting in "face time" at the office towards her next promotion.

Let’s use the other 30 days in May to recognize the social and economic value of the caregiving work that all mothers do. Let the rest of May be a time to generate public awareness and discussion about how public policies, paid workplace practices and cultural attitudes can penalize mothers. Let’s celebrate "Mothers’ Work Month" every May so we can talk about what the world would look like if our society truly valued caregiving work. We can start by going to www.mothersandmore.org to learn more.

Sincerely,