Gender roles in the household
One thing that I have to try really hard not to get upset about is the whole notion of the super-mom-career-woman. Anti-feminists are using this as a way of bringing down women who choose both to have a job, and to have a family. It’s too much, they tell us. How can anyone manage such a thing? The expectations are unrealistic!
This is not the case. After all, men have been managing to have a career and have a family all at once for many, many years now. And this is where the issue lies. In any household, the woman is generally expected to be the primary caregiver, and the primary housekeeper. So, if she works full-time, she not only has her work to juggle, but also her kids and the home in a way that a man doesn’t. However, finding this a difficult thing to do is not in any way the fault of the women. Rather, it points to a continued problem with the gender roles we have in our society.
In our society, it’s fine for a man to work full-time, and come home to give the kids a hug and then sit in front of the TV for the rest of the night. If the house is messy, it’s not considered his fault–the woman will get the blame for letting the house get into such a state. It’s the woman who has to worry about dinner, and about whether the kids have done their homework.
What needs to happen is a reworking of the gender roles in a fundamental way so that they are more even. If women are now working and running the household, and looking after the kids, so should men. Men should be able to contribute in an equitable way to make sure that all of this is possible. There should be no such thing as super-mom. There should just be an equality of roles and an equal sharing of duties.