It Takes A Village allows for a wide range of stories asking: what if child-rearing and elder-care were considered the responsibility of all adults, and, more importantly, were considered promotable / admirable activities that indicated high quality. Stories can be fantasy or science fiction.

What are the social implications and improvements that would be possible in such a world?

Imagine a world where employees are valued for spending a weekday afternoon every week to take care of another person: a child or an elderly person.

In this world, science has proved that employees that make such a commitment and take on such responsibilities are better leaders and contribute to corporate performance more than those that do not. People interested in advancing their careers make a point of everyone knowing who they are taking care of: their niece or nephew, their grandchild, their neighbor’s kids, their own kids, their ailing aunt, or their frail parents. In this world, you do not choose between your family and your career, as to advance in your career you must demonstrate your family values by taking an active nurturing role.

In doing so, we have changed the gender stereotypes, so that we no longer allocate competence and agency to men and nurturing and pro-social sacrifice to women. In this way, men and women face similar expectations in the workplace, and there is greater gender equality. Women no longer carry the blunt of domestic responsibilities. Men and women can both spend more time with their children and more time at work without getting divorced first. To create equality for women, we must start with equality for men, and allow men to be nurturing and pro-social.

This would not only increase gender equality, but this would also improve everyone’s mental health. We humans are social creatures. Valuing our social contribution would enhance our own well-being and have implications well beyond that.