"I'm that kid...After my mother was fired, I always tried to go to school no matter how I felt. I didn't want her to be fired again."
-Jeannetta Allen, 18-
In "Sick Children, Working Moms," Ellen Bravo delves into what happens for working mothers who work 9-to-5. What she's discovered is that kids are dragging themselves to school sick to keep a parent from losing pay or getting fired. As she writes:
"I first became aware of this three years ago at a 9to5 leadership conference in Washington, DC. Members were getting ready to tell their elected officials why they need paid sick days--something half the workforce, and three-quarters of low-wage women, do not have. For these workers, staying home to care for one's own illness or a sick family member could mean not only loss of pay, but loss of a job."