AN ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVE ON DEMOCRATIC DILEMMAS

This is a comment stimulated by the article entitled "Scattered Thoughts on a Democratic Dilemma, by Nicholas Henry (PSR, August 1984). A reconstruction of part of the argument made by Henry is presented and an alternative view of the democratic process is sketched. The democratic process is viewed more as a problem solving process than a clout exercising process.     

LATCHKEY CHILDREN AND AFTER-SCHOOL CARE: A FEMINIST DILEMMA?

Many children of working parents regularly care for themselves after school. Questionable findings about the danger of children's self-care (latchkey) arrangements are being used in an effort to obtain public funding for after-school care. The use of this evidence poses a dilemma for feminists and others. Arguing that latchkey children are at risk may improve the chances of receiving funds for child care. But it could also lead to unintended negative consequences for women. Emphasizing the risks of self-care could result in greater social opposition to working mothers. From a feminist perspective, the best argument for after-school care would be one that focuses on the special needs and circumstances of working parents, and does not rely on suspect data that suggest negative consequences of self-care for children's development.