I just had to laugh when I was listening to Leah’s podcast
and she started talking about our gender roles and what was expected,
according to the home ec textbook from
the 1950’s. All I can say is we sure
have come a long way!! It was amazing to
me how women were expected to put everyone and everything ahead of their
needs. I understand it was a completely
different world back then; the men went
to work and financially took care of the family, while the women were usually stay-at-home-moms, taking care of
the house and their children. However,
what I can’t understand is that the husband/father went to work every day, and
even if it was a stressful job, I bet he didn’t have to multi-task like the
wife/mother had to 24/7. So, how come he
was waited on hand and foot when he returned home? It seems to me that instead of the mother
trying to keep the kids quiet and also herself, just so he could relax, in
peace, before she could speak to him and get ready to serve him dinner,
he should be the one happy to see his children, play with them for while before
dinner, so his wife could have a while to relax after doing all the errands,
all the chores around the house, getting the kids ready for school, cooking
dinner, serving everyone dinner and cleaning –up the kitchen (probably by
herself), then getting the children ready for bed and then getting to do it all
over again the next day! WOW!! Something just doesn’t seem quite right to
me!!
The quoted home-ec stuff was pretty great. I had my wife listen to it, and take notes; I'll be expecting some changes around here.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up (25 years ago) Mom worked and Dad stayed home with the kids. In many ways they did play traditional gender roles, just swapped. With Dad in charge, the house was always clean, and food was on its way to the table when Mom got home. And there was a buffer in that moment, too - a sense of "don't unload on the other person right away if you can help it, you don't know the day they've had."
The home-ec text kind of includes that idea, with "don't greet him with problems and complaints" and "try to understand his world of strain and pressure." It's wildly wrongheaded and misogynistic, of course, and based on a "know your place" attitude, but it's almost as if some real idea about couple dynamics is bubbling out.
I definitely found it funny how much things have changed also. My mom stayed home and raised my brother, my older sister, and myself and sometimes I just wonder "How did you do it?!". Although, in that situation, my dad did help quite a bit and it wasn't always her doing every single little thing around the house. They were always very good about that sort of 50/50 compromising. All I can say is I'm glad I live in this day in age. In my opinion, raising children is a collaboration of everyones help and dedication. "It takes a village to raise a child". Thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteI too think this is funny! Society has definatly come a long way! And i am very thankful for that. When did it change? did women just slowly and slowly venture back into the working field? Looking at my grandparents, my grandfather was always the 'working man' while my grandmother was the 'housewife'. But as time grew on, my grandfathers heath wasn't so good, which forced him into early retirement. So, my grandma was forced to work. I know to this day that it kills my grandpa to have my grandma being the bread-maker, and my grandpa having to ask her for money if needed. But, in this day in time it is completely normal. And altough it kills him, and whether he likes it or not, he is accepting it.
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