Let's be honest. Fatherhood does not pay, either ("Being a mother just doesn't pay," Books, Mar. 12). If you are male, getting married is the worst thing you can do. [When mothers quit work to care for babies], fathers lose the economic benefits of having a wife in the workforce contributing to the family funds. He must shoulder unbearable stress to provide for more dependents.

B.G. Alton

Peterborough, Ont.