Steve Marks <[log in to unmask]>
> This false equivalency gets bandied around quite a lot in academic 
> circles (maybe elsewhere, but I lead a sheltered life). Let me assure 
> you that there is a significant difference between what goes on in a 
> standard pat leave and what goes on in a standard mat leave.

Yes, I agree with drawing a line between standard leave and extended
career-break child-rearing leave.  I didn't mean to suggest a "false
equivalency" so thanks for the help clarifying: the first bit of leave
is necessarily different for the mother, for the biological reasons
Steve outlines, and this is encoded in English law, 26 weeks of
Ordinary Maternity Leave vs 2 weeks of Ordinary Paternity Leave.
Extended leave is treated the same in law here, starting with 26 weeks
of Additional *aternity Leave and I feel that's probably correct.
https://www.gov.uk/maternity-leave https://www.gov.uk/paternityleave

So I still suggest that the issues around child-related extended leave
are not solely for women.

> I'm not arguing that there aren't many dads who do a great job of child 
> rearing, but in your average, everyday, heteronormative context, this by 
> default falls to the woman. [...]

Probably, and we should not support that default by suggesting such
extended-leave issues are only for libtechwomen, should we?

> Anyway, I hope you don't feel like people are piling on, MJ. I think
> it's a token of respect that every member of the code4lib community
> has for each other that folks *are* making the effort to understand
> and be understood.

I sort of both do and don't.  I do appreciate that people are making
the effort, but I do worry that other minorities are collatoral damage
of some vociferous support for this larger-minority single-issue
group, that few seem to be supporting a strong anti-discrimination
line and that it's not really clear what libtechwomen is yet.

Which brings me to an aside on a sidebar: thanks to everyone who has
sent private messages of support - mostly for good reasons, as well as
a few for reasons I don't agree with :-/ - and sorry for not replying
to each of them individually, but please consider posting in public.
I understand why some people won't "out" themselves, especially when
it would have far more life-changing consequences than the
audio-visual damage I've admitted, but I hope everyone's allowed to
express views publicly without prejudice or being challenged as to
whether and which minority.

Regards,
-- 
MJ Ray (slef), member of www.software.coop, a for-more-than-profit co-op.
http://koha-community.org supporter, web and library systems developer.
In My Opinion Only: see http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html
Available for hire (including development) at http://www.software.coop/