Why do feminists think the traditional housewife of the 1950s and 1960s was a bad thing. (unemployment, federal government)
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Did they want to be housewives, or did they not really have a choice? That's the important question.
In the old days, women were either not allowed or not expected to have careers, even if they wanted to, and they went to college only to "catch a man." I was told not to bother with college because all I needed in life was to find a husband and make babies, so in high school I was taught to type and take shorthand. That was all my life was supposed to be, and that would not have been a happy life for me.
I would have been miserable, as many women were in those days, including my mother.
I was reading some period newspaper articles the other day (from the late 1940s- early 1950s) about the St. Louis School Board's policy on married female teachers -
One board member argued (to a round of applause apparently), that married women shouldn't be teaching or in the workforce as they should be at home taking care of the house for their husbands. He also argued that a married teacher couldn't devote her entire attention to her job, as she may be distracted by the thought of things she needs to do at home for her husband.
In a separate article, a board member argued that children should be spared the disgusting site of a pregnant woman teaching them.
I'm not sure when exactly St. Louis really ended its policy regarding married female teachers, let alone ones with children. It seemed to happen in theory earlier than it did in practice.
It isn't a leap to assume that many jobs around the country had similar policies. I know many airlines wouldn't employ married flight attendants back in the 50s and 60s.
However, this was a trend brought out by feminism. This was political. She felt entitled to leave her two boys and a decent husband because feminism and bored. Not like leaving for another man or because of abuse.
It came back to bite her because she bragged about it and lost her job.
Because men never left their marriages and children for less than noble reasons...
No clue about feminists, but housework is an issue for most women who work and are then saddled with the bulk of the housework/child rearing tasks as well.
No one likes to wash dishes or scrub toilets or do laundry, but these things have to be done. Asking a husband to participate doesn't mean one hates their husband (where you get that who knows) or that one is a radical feminist (whatever that is). It just means one is a person who doesn't want to be saddled with full responsibility for that work in addition to holding down a fulltime job. Seems like a perfectly reasonable stance to take and nothing to do with feminism at all.
It takes a few minutes to load a dishwasher, put soap in it, and turn it on. It takes a few minutes to put clothes in a washing machine, put soap in it, and turn it on. Sorry, no, those are not "demanding" chores. You aren't doing much at all besides tossing something in to another object, and pushing buttons.
I do all my own chores, no one does them for me, and every time I hear someone complain about doing the dishes or laundry, I have to laugh at them. It isn't hard.
No one likes scrubbing toilets, but again, it takes a couple of minutes.
If you're like my sister, you make a huge mess, never clean up after yourself, let things pile high, and then it gets hard. If you actually take care of it daily, it's literally less than half an hour. I have dogs and cats to clean up after, as well, feed, (and it's not kibble tossed in a bowl), walk, etc. None of it is hard. And I've done that during and after 70 hour work weeks. This argument about how it's so exhausting to keep your place clean doesn't fly with me.
It takes a few minutes to load a dishwasher, put soap in it, and turn it on. It takes a few minutes to put clothes in a washing machine, put soap in it, and turn it on. Sorry, no, those are not "demanding" chores. You aren't doing much at all besides tossing something in to another object, and pushing buttons.
I do all my own chores, no one does them for me, and every time I hear someone complain about doing the dishes or laundry, I have to laugh at them. It isn't hard.
No one likes scrubbing toilets, but again, it takes a couple of minutes.
If you're like my sister, you make a huge mess, never clean up after yourself, let things pile high, and then it gets hard. If you actually take care of it daily, it's literally less than half an hour. I have dogs and cats to clean up after, as well, feed, (and it's not kibble tossed in a bowl), walk, etc. None of it is hard. And I've done that during and after 70 hour work weeks. This argument about how it's so exhausting to keep your place clean doesn't fly with me.
Um you’re attacking the wrong person sweetie. I’m actually a neat freak and my house is always a spotless. Betweeen the maid, my efforts and my husbands efforts it’s always clean. He cleans up after himself as do I. Pretty much like every person over the age of 5 should do.
My issue is the people who think it’s solely the woman’s job to do housework. It is super simple yes, but everyone who lives in the house should pitch in. You know, like a family.
I was reading some period newspaper articles the other day (from the late 1940s- early 1950s) about the St. Louis School Board's policy on married female teachers -
One board member argued (to a round of applause apparently), that married women shouldn't be teaching or in the workforce as they should be at home taking care of the house for their husbands. He also argued that a married teacher couldn't devote her entire attention to her job, as she may be distracted by the thought of things she needs to do at home for her husband.
In a separate article, a board member argued that children should be spared the disgusting site of a pregnant woman teaching them.
I'm not sure when exactly St. Louis really ended its policy regarding married female teachers, let alone ones with children. It seemed to happen in theory earlier than it did in practice.
It isn't a leap to assume that many jobs around the country had similar policies. I know many airlines wouldn't employ married flight attendants back in the 50s and 60s.
The first job I had out of college in 1982 was me and a bunch of guys. Not surprising in IT in those days although it’s still pretty much a male centric job. At my first review my boss told me I was the best programmer he had, turning out more code and better, cleaner code than anyone else in the department. Then he told me that he sadly couldn’t give me a raise right then because Joe needed one because he had a baby on the way. He was actually shocked when I quit a week later. I took my skills down the road for a 20% raise based on his review. I probably could have raised a stink and sued him, but the look on his face was far more satisfying.
So how do you propose to make it so that a woman is not left destitute if her husband leaves? Some men already scream about how unfair it is to have to pay any alimony or child support.
If I were to have to go back into the workforce right now I may be able to do a bit better than minimum wage. Yes, I chose to be a SAHM, yes I love it, but realistically I would be up a creek if we were to split up.
Exactly.
If men have had the advantages of having a woman at home to care for the couple's kids and the home then SOMEONE has to be compensated for that heretofore FREE service. The woman was taking care of the family and relying totally on the man. The man was reaping the benefits of her LABOR rather than paying someone else to do it. The woman lost time out of the workplace raising the family - therefore she gets compensated AFTER THE FACT through alimony. And it has been cut back drastically in recent years.
Also, don't confuse alimony with child support. Both parents contribute to child support - you don't SEE the custodial parent's contribution but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Did they want to be housewives, or did they not really have a choice? That's the important question.
In the old days, women were either not allowed or not expected to have careers, even if they wanted to, and they went to college only to "catch a man." I was told not to bother with college because all I needed in life was to find a husband and make babies, so in high school I was taught to type and take shorthand. That was all my life was supposed to be, and that would not have been a happy life for me.
I would have been miserable, as many women were in those days, including my mother.
I may have come along a little later than you...I was encouraged to go to college but in high school also was told to take a typing class "just in case". Ended up working out great because of course secretaries got the boot around then and everyone had to type their OWN stuff! So sure, I could type great because sure as heck secretaries were totally phased out - glad there were a few more professions open to me by that time! We cannot forget the past...or we WILL repeat it.
If men have had the advantages of having a woman at home to care for the couple's kids and the home then SOMEONE has to be compensated for that heretofore FREE service. The woman was taking care of the family and relying totally on the man. The man was reaping the benefits of her LABOR rather than paying someone else to do it. The woman lost time out of the workplace raising the family - therefore she gets compensated AFTER THE FACT through alimony. And it has been cut back drastically in recent years.
Also, don't confuse alimony with child support. Both parents contribute to child support - you don't SEE the custodial parent's contribution but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
If someone is working and paying all yours and your children's living expenses, that alone is pretty good compensation for housework and childcare most of which you would be doing unpaid anyway. If you quit or are fired from a job you don't as rule get a pension.
It takes a few minutes to load a dishwasher, put soap in it, and turn it on. It takes a few minutes to put clothes in a washing machine, put soap in it, and turn it on. Sorry, no, those are not "demanding" chores. You aren't doing much at all besides tossing something in to another object, and pushing buttons.
I do all my own chores, no one does them for me, and every time I hear someone complain about doing the dishes or laundry, I have to laugh at them. It isn't hard.
No one likes scrubbing toilets, but again, it takes a couple of minutes.
If you're like my sister, you make a huge mess, never clean up after yourself, let things pile high, and then it gets hard. If you actually take care of it daily, it's literally less than half an hour. I have dogs and cats to clean up after, as well, feed, (and it's not kibble tossed in a bowl), walk, etc. None of it is hard. And I've done that during and after 70 hour work weeks. This argument about how it's so exhausting to keep your place clean doesn't fly with me.
So clothes fold, hang and put themselves away? Your pantry is automatically stocked? No dust? The vacuum runs itself, do you change your bed sheets more than once a year? Your single? And no kids
Yea, Monday, drive to work, work an 8 hour day, drive home but stop at the grocery store, walk up and down isles, stand in line forever put everything on conveyer belt, put groceries in car, drive, bring groceries in house, put food away, people nagging their hungry, chop, mix, cook, set out dinner plates, after dinner put dishes in dishwasher, wipe up the table, all the while old man sitting in lazy boy chair. Yea that took only a few minutes. DH is not happy that your not interested tonight.
Tuesday, thaw, drive to work, work an 8 hour day, drive home, stop at bank, pick up kids, errands, home, chop, mix, cook, eat, into dishwasher, clean up. Gather dirty clothes put load of clothes into wash machine, then into the dryer, fold, hang then put clothes away. Yea the every day grind only takes minutes. Go upstairs, clean bedroom, change sheets. Clean bathroom. DH putting the move on, he's taken a snooze so full of energy.
Wednesday, thaw, drive to work, work an 8 hour day, drive home, errands, home, empty dishwasher, chop, mix, cook, eat, dishes into dishwasher, clean up. More dirty clothes need done, put in wash machine, when done put in dryer. Fold and hang clothes, take upstairs and put in drawers and closet.
Thursday, thaw, drive to work, work an 8 hour day, drive home, errands, home, chop, mix, cook, eat, into dishwasher, clean up. Yea it only takes minutes. Husband missed commode, singing and dancing while cleaning toilet. Clean out bath tub and shower., clean mirror, mop floor. Old man relaxing in lazy boy, he worked all day after all.
Friday, thaw, drive to work, work an 8 hour day, drive home, errands, home, chop, mix, cook, eat, into dishwasher, clean up. Dust furniture, run vacuum, More clothes put in wash machine, when done put in dryer. Mop kitchen floor, wipe down cabinets. put clean dishes away. Old man relaxing in lazy boy, it's his day off after all. Go upstairs, clean bedroom, change sheets. Clean bathroom, empty dishwasher, clean dishes away. DH putting the move on, he's taken a snooze so full of energy.
Saturday, thaw, read mail, do bills, do things you couldn't get done during the week, errands, home, chop, mix, cook, eat, into dishwasher, clean up. More dirty clothes, put in wash machine, when done put in dryer. Old man goes fishing. Go upstairs, clean another bedroom, change sheets. Clean bathroom.
Sunday, thaw, do more things you couldn't get done during the week, errands, home, chop, mix, cook, eat, into dishwasher, clean up. clean the downstairs, run vacuum again. Old man relaxing in lazy boy. Clean downstairs bathroom.
DH complains to buddy about wife's lack of interest.... wow those young things are looking good, and then cheating with someone who doesn't do his socks. Wife finds out, divorces him, and all it would have taken if DH would have done his share
Only takes minutes!? what a fulfilling life. Women should be so happy wit this uneven, unpaid work situation<sarcasm>
Just by your post it's obvious you either don't have a clue or live in a pig pen, then again, with 70 hour work weeks, your never home. I hope you change your bed sheets at least once a week.
Because they'd rather eat frozen dinners than enter into any sort of partnership or division of duties with another human being.
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