In a recent article on CNN.com the housewife was heralded as the latest domestic accessory. Why? Well, first of all, in times of economic hardship, the fact that both partners don't have to work to maintain a decent lifestyle is a status symbol. As in, "don't worry honey, you don't have to bother working anymore, your husband has got everything under control." They say it's one of the most visible symbols of extreme luxury.
Then there is, of course, the perks, of having a free housekeeper. As one husband interviewed puts it: "When Catherine stays at home, I feel the house is more together because she has the time to do things like in-depth cleaning and can be more attentive to the garden. She also has more time to find good deals at secondhand stores, garage sales and at grocery stores."
Women, apparently, agree. They value being a good homemaker and say they have more time to do in-depth chores, volunteer work and hobbies. And, with the disappearance of "honey-do" lists since all of the housework is finished when the man comes home from work and the stress they endure from handling both a career and a home, these wives claim that their relationships with their husbands benefit from their switch to the home.
My jaw dropped and never closed as I read the article. Toto, I don't think we're in the new millennium anymore.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/08/05/lw.nokids.nojob.wives/index.html
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Housewife: This Season's It Accessory
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3 comments:
Well, this was an interesting post. I understand your frustration with these women, and in some ways they frustrate me too. But I can see some merit in it.
In my ideal life I would work for some up-and-coming magazines and write some pieces I can be proud of and then get married in my mid-twenties. If we could keep a city apartment on just my husband's salary I would quit and focus on my novel-writing and have children. But there would always be something: writing or children. (And making cute dinners, shopping ect). But I would go out of my head if my days involved errands, laundry and cleaning.
It's complicated, but I know I wasn't made to rise to the top of corporations or publications. Some women are though.
PS. On a feminist note do you read jezebel.com?
No I haven't heard of it until that comment, I skimmed through it and it's alright.
And your first response is interesting, especially the last little paragraph. It sounds like you're saying if you can't rise to the top, then it's not worth working full time. I'm not sure if I got that completely right but it was an interesting point to think about.
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