--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Parents like Jennifer, Susan, and Rae…" description: "\"“Parents like Jennifer, Susan, and Rae express desires that are quite modest. Full-time hours come first. That is a prize that can be astonishingly har..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/kathryn-edin-25745_child-care_parents-like-jennifer-susan-and-rae-expr_230793.jpg" --- # Parents like Jennifer, Susan, and Rae express desires that… ![“Parents like Jennifer, Susan, and Rae express desires that are quite modest. Full-time hours come first. That is a prize that can be astonishingly hard to wrest from a low-wage employer who wants to avoid added costs associated with full-time employment, such as health insurance and paid time off…” quote by Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/kathryn-edin-25745_child-care_parents-like-jennifer-susan-and-rae-expr_230793.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/kathryn-edin-25745_child-care_parents-like-jennifer-susan-and-rae-expr_230793.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/kathryn-edin-25745_child-care_parents-like-jennifer-susan-and-rae-expr_230793.jpg) > ““Parents like Jennifer, Susan, and Rae express desires that are quite modest. Full-time hours come first. That is a prize that can be astonishingly hard to wrest from a low-wage employer who wants to avoid added costs associated with full-time employment, such as health insurance and paid time off. A predictable schedule, so parents can arrange for safe, reliable child care, comes next. A few say they would be happy if they could get just those two things. Yet finding a job with even those basic attributes is something Susan Brown feels she can only dream of, not expect. Most parents, like Jennifer and Rae, hope for a little more. If they could just make $12 or $13 per hour, they say, they could make it; $15 per hour is really shooting the moon. Safe working conditions, and some sick or personal days, would be a real plus. The other “extras” that once came routinely with a full-time job—health insurance, vacation days, and retirement benefits—don’t often come up in conversations with the $2-a-day poor. These perks are so uncommon among the jobs available to low-wage workers that they seem all but outside the bounds of reality.”” [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights the struggle of low‑wage parents seeking stable, well‑paid, full‑time jobs with benefits, underscoring systemic barriers and the gap between needs and reality. **In simple terms:** Low‑wage parents need stable, decent pay and benefits, but face huge obstacles. Key Takeaway Advocate for fair wages and reliable job conditions. Themes labor rights economic inequality family stability benefits wage stagnation Mood empathetic urgent Type policy social justice When to use this quote - job search - policy advocacy - union organizing - community support groups Key Concepts sociology public policy economics Questions to Reflect On - What policies could close the gap for low‑wage workers? - How can communities support parents facing these job challenges? A Different Perspective May not reflect all employer perspectives or potential solutions in specific sectors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-care/) [Finding A Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-a-job/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Working conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-conditions/) ## Related quotes > [“Yet laying the blame on a lack of personal responsibility obscures the fact that there are powerful and ever-changing structural forces at play here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/yet-laying-the-blame-on-a-lack-of-personal-responsibility-obscures/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [Low-wage individuals barely get anything. I think we have to reward work, and I do think that we need to bump up the earned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/low-wage-individuals-barely-get-anything-i-think-we-have-to-reward/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [Low-wage workers are also consumers. It's just common sense: when these workers have more take-home pay it leads to spending that trickles up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-price/low-wage-workers-are-also-consumers-it-s-just-common-sense-when-these/) Mark Price > [It seems to me both moral and practical that in the richest in nation in the world that someone working full time shouldn't live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-vanden-heuvel/it-seems-to-me-both-moral-and-practical-that-in-the-richest-in-nation/) [Katrina vanden Heuvel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-vanden-heuvel/) > [The overtime threshold is to the middle class as the minimum wage is to low-wage workers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hanauer/the-overtime-threshold-is-to-the-middle-class-as-the-minimum-wage-is/) [Nick Hanauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hanauer/) > [It's important for survival that children have their own experiences, the kind they learn from. The kind their parents arrange for are not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/it-s-important-for-survival-that-children-have-their-own-experiences/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [“Although the 1996 welfare reform pushed millions of low-income single moms into the workforce, it did nothing to improve the conditions of low-wage jobs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/although-the-1996-welfare-reform-pushed-millions-of-low-income-single/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [Walmart isn't your average mom-and-pop operation. It's the largest employer in America. As such, it's the trendsetter for millions of other employers of low-wage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/walmart-isn-t-your-average-mom-and-pop-operation-it-s-the-largest/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [“The top managers are defensive about these departures; they point to how safe, attractive, and up-to-date the workplace is. Rodney Everts is less defensive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sennett/the-top-managers-are-defensive-about-these-departures-they-point-to/) [Richard Sennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sennett/) > [There are very few people at the decision-making table to argue for minimum-wage workers. Very few people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/there-are-very-few-people-at-the-decision-making-table-to-argue-for/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [Women of the working class, especially wage workers, should not have more than two children at most. The average working man can support no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/women-of-the-working-class-especially-wage-workers-should-not-have/) [Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/) > [The total amount of money that Wall Street handed out in bonuses last year was double the total income of ALL full-time minimum wage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-total-amount-of-money-that-wall-street-handed-out-in-bonuses-last/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [“Wage workers are unconsciously trading their limited lifetime for abundant pieces of paper that are designed to steal their lifetime”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniella-liberati/wage-workers-are-unconsciously-trading-their-limited-lifetime-for/) Daniella Liberati > [Unfortunately, the real minimum wage is always zero, regardless of the laws, and that is the wage that many workers receive in the wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/unfortunately-the-real-minimum-wage-is-always-zero-regardless-of-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Steve Jobs didn't seek solace among minimum wage workers. He sought it from highly educated men and women who understood and shared his focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/steve-jobs-didn-t-seek-solace-among-minimum-wage-workers-he-sought-it/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) ## More by Kathryn Edin > [“Of the $16.5 billion the federal government transfers to states for TANF, more than $11 billion is siphoned off for other uses, sometimes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/of-the-16-5-billion-the-federal-government-transfers-to-states-for/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Survival strategies come in three forms. The first is taking advantage of public spaces and private charities—the nation’s libraries, food pantries, homeless shelters, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/survival-strategies-come-in-three-forms-the-first-is-taking-advantage/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Housing instability is a hallmark of life among the $2-a-day poor. Children experiencing $2-a-day poverty are far more likely to move over the course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/housing-instability-is-a-hallmark-of-life-among-the-2-a-day-poor/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“As a practical matter, it is far more difficult to traffic in SNAP than it once was. Back in the days when folks got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/as-a-practical-matter-it-is-far-more-difficult-to-traffic-in-snap/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) deems a family that is spending more than 30 percent of its income on housing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/the-u-s-department-of-housing-and-urban-development-hud-deems-a/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Government-subsidized private sector job creation is one way forward. Recently, the federal government sponsored a promising short-term subsidized jobs program through something called the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/government-subsidized-private-sector-job-creation-is-one-way-forward/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Out of every one hundred Americans, fewer than two get aid from today’s cash welfare program. Just 27 percent of poor families with children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/out-of-every-one-hundred-americans-fewer-than-two-get-aid-from-today/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Already in 2001, 63 percent of very low income households were putting more than half their income toward housing, leaving too little for other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/already-in-2001-63-percent-of-very-low-income-households-were-putting/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Providing the ultimate safety net is the role that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is supposed to play, but it hasn’t proved to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/providing-the-ultimate-safety-net-is-the-role-that-temporary/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“The most obvious manifestation of the affordable housing crisis is in rising rents. Between 1900 and 2013, rents rose faster than inflation in virtually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/the-most-obvious-manifestation-of-the-affordable-housing-crisis-is-in/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Yet laying the blame on a lack of personal responsibility obscures the fact that there are powerful and ever-changing structural forces at play here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/yet-laying-the-blame-on-a-lack-of-personal-responsibility-obscures/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“...child welfare officials deem it inappropriate for a brother and sister to sleep in the same bedroom once they reach a certain age. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/child-welfare-officials-deem-it-inappropriate-for-a-brother-and/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“Although the 1996 welfare reform pushed millions of low-income single moms into the workforce, it did nothing to improve the conditions of low-wage jobs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/although-the-1996-welfare-reform-pushed-millions-of-low-income-single/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“In the fine print on a food stamp application, it is made clear that selling SNAP can result in a felony charge. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/in-the-fine-print-on-a-food-stamp-application-it-is-made-clear-that/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“It further appeared that the experience of living below the $2-a-day threshold didn’t discriminate by family type or race. While single-mother families were most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/it-further-appeared-that-the-experience-of-living-below-the-2-a-day/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) [Explore all 22 Kathryn Edin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) ## More Child care quotes > [Along with a livable wage, many parents are desperate for quality affordable child care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gillibrand/along-with-a-livable-wage-many-parents-are-desperate-for-quality/) [Kirsten Gillibrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gillibrand/) > [On the average, older parents are more flexible, tolerant, understanding, and happy in child care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/on-the-average-older-parents-are-more-flexible-tolerant-understanding/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [My entire history with the Navy have been trying to get the Navy to focus on families and child care and all the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schroeder/my-entire-history-with-the-navy-have-been-trying-to-get-the-navy-to/) [Patricia Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schroeder/) > [“When I wrote Lean In, some people argued that I did not spend enough time writing about the difficulties women face when they don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-wrote-lean-in-some-people-argued-that-i-did-not-spend-enough/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [The affordability and accessibility of child care are barriers for parents across our state and nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-britt/the-affordability-and-accessibility-of-child-care-are-barriers-for/) [Katie Britt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-britt/) > [We do not put enough emphasis on early childhood years. We neglect children in this society; as a society we're guilty of child neglect.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/we-do-not-put-enough-emphasis-on-early-childhood-years-we-neglect/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [Good guilt is a product of love and responsibility. It is a natural, positive instinct that parents and good child care providers have. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marzollo/good-guilt-is-a-product-of-love-and-responsibility-it-is-a-natural/) [Jean Marzollo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marzollo/) > [I see all kinds of people work hard all over the world, and some of them are barely making it. I don't just mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-butterfield/i-see-all-kinds-of-people-work-hard-all-over-the-world-and-some-of/) [Stewart Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-butterfield/) > [I took my kids everywhere. I didn't have money for child care, so I took them to college with me and they sat in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/i-took-my-kids-everywhere-i-didn-t-have-money-for-child-care-so-i/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [Raising or caring for children requires sacrifice and service, which, I believe, heals us from the destructive forces of self-centeredness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/raising-or-caring-for-children-requires-sacrifice-and-service-which-i/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [Child-care costs are now the largest family expenditure in much of America, even exceeding the cost of housing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/child-care-costs-are-now-the-largest-family-expenditure-in-much-of/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“Feminism has fought no wars. It has killed no opponents. It has set up no concentration camps, starved no enemies, practiced no cruelties. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-spender/feminism-has-fought-no-wars-it-has-killed-no-opponents-it-has-set-up/) [Dale Spender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-spender/) > [Feminism has fought no wars. It has killed no opponents. It has set up no concentration camps, starved no enemies, practiced no cruelties. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-spender/feminism-has-fought-no-wars-it-has-killed-no-opponents-it-has-set-up-2/) [Dale Spender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-spender/) > [If you work a job outside of the hours a daycare that accepts government grants operates, if you are self-employed or you take classes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/if-you-work-a-job-outside-of-the-hours-a-daycare-that-accepts/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) [Browse all 199 Child care quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-care/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Parents like Jennifer, Susan, and Rae express desires that are quite modest. Full-time hours come first. That is a prize that can be astonishingly hard to wrest from a low-wage employer who wants to avoid added costs associated with full-time employment, such as health insurance and paid time off. A predictable schedule, so parents can arrange for safe, reliable child care, comes next. A few say they would be happy if they could get just those two things. Yet finding a job with even those basic attributes is something Susan Brown feels she can only dream of, not expect. Most parents, like Jennifer and Rae, hope for a little more. If they could just make $12 or $13 per hour, they say, they could make it; $15 per hour is really shooting the moon. Safe working conditions, and some sick or personal days, would be a real plus. The other “extras” that once came routinely with a full-time job—health insurance, vacation days, and retirement benefits—don’t often come up in conversations with the $2-a-day poor. 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