Should women be treated as equals

[LilyM]

Salibi:

Nothing. If that’s what she wants, a woman is free to stay at home and raise her family. Or she can work. Or join a monastery. if that’s what she wants .

No that is not how it works today. I know a lot of working women who work because that is what is expected of them in todays society. I have been told by quite a few women if they could they would be at home with their family but they have been led to believe that a woman staying at home is ignorant and doing a brainless job. Also because our culture today is choosing more and more stuff and bigger homes, she has no choice.

A young girl coming out of high school is discouraged from even considering not going to college. Heaven help her if she should even mention to anyone she would just want to marry and have a family and stay home and raise children.

Women have had a lot of extra pressure added to them today to work.

It is not shameful for a woman not to do paid work if her and her husband’s financial circumstances allow.

I would say, however, that a prudent woman should probably be prepared for the fact that husbands die, get sick or injured, unexpectedly lose income and assets in different ways etc. So at any time she may be called on to be partly or wholly responsible for the financial support of herself and her family. So I think it behooves most women to at least keep their business/employable skills up to date in readiness for that possibility. This at least sometimes requires (or at least is greatly aided by) tertiary education, depending on what skills the woman wants/needs to have.

Another thought - if a woman has children who are of an age that they do not, for example, require daytime care during the week, and her husband finds he has to work multiple jobs or really long hours to make ends meet for the family, then it may well be a loving act and most beneficial for the whole family for her to earn a part-time income of some description to both ease the burden on him and ensure that he has adequate time at home to BE a father to the children. Again, often requires or benefits from tertiary education of some description.

 

[Lea101]

it may well be a loving act and most beneficial for the whole family for her to earn a part-time income of some description to both ease the burden on him and ensure that he has adequate time at home to BE a father to the children.

Exactly. People keep going on and on about how being at home is imperative to be a good mother, but nobody says anything about the poor dad struggling two jobs. Or the workaholic dad who only sees his children a few hours a day/weekends.

Like I’ve been saying throughout all of this, the couple will have to decide what’s best for themselves.

There are situations where the dad stays at home because the mother simply makes more and has better insurance/benefits.

Or both parents work, but mother works less hours because she wants to spend more time with the children but work at the same time too.

My aunt had to work because she would actually get really tired, sick and cranky after doing physical labour. My uncle actually commented that the house was a lot more peaceful once she found a job she enjoyed. She works less hours whenever she needed to, but at least she was thriving well enough to be a loving mother to her children. Everyone was fine. Her kids are pretty successful.

If there are women out there who are financially stable and would love to stay at home BUT she’s working for some societal validation, that’s her problem. She has the choice to live the life she wants. She can continue slaving away and make herself a victim, but she literally has the freedom to stop. We can feel bad that people place success in status and money, but we can also acknowledge that adults have to mentally grow up and learn to not seek validation, especially when it causes them pain. Same goes for men who are unhappily working day and night for no good reason.

 

[FredBloggs]

What is wrong with a woman staying home and raising a family?

Er, nothing. Why are you putting words in my mouth?

What is the reason for pushing women out the door of her home?

Who has suggested we do that? Not me. Are you sure you haven’t responded to the wrong person?

Unless there is a financial need to help support the family, why does a woman have to go out and find those equal opportunities?

A woman is under no more or less obligation than a man to do this.

Who is caring for the children? The husband? Do children no longer need their mothers?

Either you’re responding to the wrong person, or you’ve completely missed my point.