What Women Want, Pt 37

Yes, what do women want?  It's the eternal complaint of men, because our lives are much simpler than women.

First we want a job, the kind of job that means that women will give you a second glance.  Then we want to get laid.

Women are more complicated because they want to be able to conceive, raise, and launch children.

So what about President Obama's universal pre-K proposal?  Is that what women want?  To get their children off their hands so they can get back to work and continue their careers?

Not exactly, writes Penelope Trunk.  Never mind that "Universal pre-K is bad for everyone."  And she has the links to prove it.

• Preschool does not help most kids.   The children of educated parents don't need pre-school; they are better off playing.  Boys especially.
• We do need good childcare. "Parents who are home with their kids want to have a break from their kids."  Of course, that's what the schools do for us.
• Universal pre-K is 1950s feminism.  It assumes that women want careers.  But actually most women want to raise their children and work part-time.
• Schools are a waste of time.  Middle-class parents are waking up to this.  After all, universal schooling was intended to train up the children to be factory workers.
• What about dead-beat dads?  Promote marriage and go after dead-beat dads.  So more women can stay home and raise their kids.

In other words, writes Trunk:

In light of the overwhelming evidence that kids and parents are better off without preschool, let’s use the funding for universal pre-K to help parents create safe, stable environments where they stay home with their four-year-old kids.

Hey!  Why stop there?  Why not end the hugely expensive programs paying seniors like me huge pensions and healthcare bills and return the money to the workers so that they can work less and spend more time with their children?