In truth, many women now have days that more closely resemble this.
And for that, we have wonderful, brave, headstrong women like these to thank for starting us on the path towards equality and the freedom of choice.
Feminists didn't stop at securing women's right to vote. Throughout the 20th century, they did a heck of a lot more than that. They fought for choice. And choice is a powerful thing.
But along the way, one choice that those women fought for--the choice to stay home or join the workforce-- stopped being a choice. Now a majority of women work, and many times out of necessity rather than the desire to do so.
Society loves hypocrisy and women in the workforce is one issue that just never ceases to be a double-edged sword. Women are either damned for going to work--because being away from their children makes them bad mothers--or damned for staying home--because they aren't contributing to the family's bank account. We've all heard the arguments and watched the battles unfold about who really has it the worst.
What bothers me the most is that somewhere along the way, housewife became a dirty word.
I am proud of who I am and what I do for my family. I know that without my contributions, my family would be in bad shape. The house wouldn't be clean. The dishes would still be in the sink. The laundry would pile up. Someone else would be spending more time with my daughter than I do. Meals would rarely be homemade. I could go on. And on. And on.
But I find myself at every corner having to defend what I do and why I do it. I'll be honest, if one more person asks me when I'm going to get a real job, I'll probably punch the deserving offender in the face. It's insulting. It undermines the choices I've made. And that's the kicker.
My foremothers fought for this choice. They endured torment and ridicule and heartache so they could give me this choice to decide what's best for myself and my family. Some women know being at home all day would kill them slowly, and they deserve their chance to shine in the workforce. But their choices shouldn't make mine any less respected.
We all deserve the choice to do what makes us happy.
Amen sister! :)
ReplyDeleteHa, yeah I think my sociology degree had a little influence today. But sometimes, it just needs to be said! :)
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love, LOVE this. Love it. Love it.
ReplyDeleteDid I mention I love it?
=)
I so, really Love it.
thank you :)
ReplyDeleteRead your history: women working was never about equality. It was about cheaper labor. First the women, then the teens in school, now the third-world countries. And the media is used to evolve the language with every wave, so "housewife" became dirty.
ReplyDeleteMen and women can never be equal because we are designed by biology to be complete opposites. We are designed to be balanced, not equal. Only the few real liberated individuals in society understand this. Everyone else who "conforms" to feminist social norms is not "liberated".
Dual income families are all in the red, whereas husband-only incomes are in the black. Those are the facts, so so much for the double-income theory. Not one of your dual-income friends is in the black. Not one. Women belong in the home and nature rewards families who appreciate nature's laws. To do more research, begin with a web search for John Taylor Gatto. Good luck.