Gwen and Gavin, Jen and Ben: Why The Nanny Isn't to Blame
We need to consider the power disparity in an employer – employee relationship. (Getty Images)
We really, really need to stop blaming the nanny.
Sadly, it seems of late, this is tabloid journalism’s go-to trope, the universal answer to the dissolution of all seemingly perfect Hollywood marriages.
Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale? Blame the nanny.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner? Blame the nanny.
Jude Law and Sienna Miller? Blame the nanny.
Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman? Blame the nanny.
Chrissy Tiegen, who hasn’t even given birth yet, has gone so far to make it known that she already warned husband John Legend that there would be “no hot nanny” in their house.
Because not only are men (and yes, in these particular situations, it seems to always be the men) fully accountable for their own behavior, let’s not forget that neither spouse – and no person, gender and marital status aside – would be able to work at all if not for the women (and yes, in these situations, it seems to always be women) who provide the childcare that not only fuels Hollywood, but so much of the American economy.
The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) reports that the median hourly wage for childcare workers is $10.31, 39.3 percent below the $17 median hourly wage for workers in other occupations. Only 15 percent of childcare workers receive health insurance from their job, compared with 49.9 percent of workers in other occupations.
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Forbes, meanwhile, ranks Ben Affleck as the 67th highest earning celebrity of 2014 and TheRichest.com estimates his net worth to be $75 million.The Richest estimates Gavin Rossdale’s worth at $35 million.
The U.S. Department of Labor reports that 70 percent of women and 93 percent of men with children under the age of 18 participate in the work force. The rate of women with children under the age of 18 in the work force has increased from 47.4 percent in 1975 to 70.3 percent in 2013 and in 2012, 29 percent of women earned more than their husbands if both spouses were working.
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In other words, the American economy is largely held up by the childcare workers who allow so many women, and men, work to support their families.
And this economic security is tenuous at best as many nannies work “under the table,” without healthcare benefits or legally binding job security. A particularly difficult situation to find yourself in as a young woman making about 200 percent of the federal poverty level – an annual income that that would qualify for Medicaid coverage in 28 states and the District of Columbia.
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Just last week, the EPI reported that childcare workers, a population that is 95.6 percent female, receive compensation so low that many are unable to make ends meet.
So blame the nanny? Hardly. Instead, let’s focus our finger-pointing and hate-mongering for policies that restrict the wages of an incredibly hard-working demographic and systemic cultural forces that leave the women who care for so many of the children of the American workforce feeling especially vulnerable, and obligated, to their employers.
And a personal aside: Our nanny is a bright, energetic, intelligent, kind, compassionate and, yes, beautiful, young woman – and if not for her, I wouldn’t have been able to write this story. I’m nothing but grateful for her presence in me and my family’s life.
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