There’s No Natural Dignity in Work

There's a lot of great things mentioned in this article, and while not all of it applies to software engineers in terms of work-life balance, a lot of it still resonates, especially for those who have grown up poor and have seen both sides.

> “Whenever I tell people about that, they say, ‘He’s amazing! What a great partner,’” Michener said. “In the context of a family not living in poverty, to make the decision to stay home for a bit to care for an ill family member is considered virtuous. But for a woman living in poverty to take some time off to care for a family member is vice.”

I have also seen managers tell new fathers not to take too long a paternity leave. I have also seen managers that try to discourage taking hard earned PTO because it disrupts office coverage or there is some deadline "that can't be pushed".

We should always keep in mind that these corporate pressures are not just applied to the poor working class, it applies to anyone who is a laborer (yes, us software engies too), just in different but familiar forms.

> I’d met Lavender because she’s organizing for a $15 minimum wage, and she said the experience had been transformative.

I'm really glad she's pushing for change, and actively, against the corporate machine. We should think about it as well; our software culture could be a lot better too.