Working and motherhood?

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angell1

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are all mothers supposed to be stay at home moms?

“to abuse the years of childhood and the limited strength of women is grossly wrong. Mothers, concentrating on household duties, should work primarily in the home or in its immediate vicinity. It is an intolerable abuse, and to be abolished at all cost, for mothers on account of the father’s low wage to be forced to engage in gainful occupations outside the home to the neglect of their proper cares and duties, especially the training of children. Every effort must therefore be made that fathers of families receive a wage large enough to meet ordinary family needs adequately.” (emphasis mine) pope pius xi

is that what he’s saying?

I do think society shouldn’t force women or make them feel inferior if they don’t but what if the woman has talents and wants to work? I don’t just mean out of necessity

in the past, it was hard for women to be hired and valued for their skills for this exact reason
 
Pope Pius XI was born in 1857, and died in 1939. The world has changed quite a bit since then.

How does quoting a Holy Father who died before WWII have any bearing on working mothers today??? :confused:
 
When looking at the time period when this was written - The Great Depression - the social norms were quite different on women in the workplace. Pius IX was more than likely concerned about women going into the work force performing jobs that were very hazardous for everyone, thus putting two parents at risk.

I took this as an edict as much for employers to make sure they were paying a fair wage so that many families were not required to have two working parents.

But a short answer to your question is No.
 
In Australia, the Harvester decision of the then Industrial tribunal that set the award minimum wage, attempted to set a fair wage as one where a man could afford to keep a family of a wife and two children.
This is in line with the optimum Catholic social teachings, however it is almost impossible for a man to earn enough to raise a family without his wife working at least some time during her married life.
This balance of wage earning and child rearing falls heavily on the wife in the marriage and her sacrifice is often greater in giving up her natural nurturing duties to assist her husband, or even earn more than him, in paying for rent or mortgage, food and clothes; medical and dental and transport needs of a modern family.
In a utopia, both men and women would be free to find their most valuable contribution and the greatest usage of their talents. But how often are artistic aspirations destroyed in the face of reality for either sex; how often are professional aspirations destroyed before the cost of training?
Every oar in the water seems to be the rule of today.
 
You asked what essentially is the same question last week.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=12152805#post12152805

Honey, you are driving yourself crazy with this obsession of yours. Please, get some professional help. This kind of fixation will end up leading you out of the Church if you insist on bringing up bits and pieces of personal opinions that are not official Church teachings (even if they are from Popes and Saints) to worry and dwell over. You may wear pants, work outside the home, and get a college education. These are not matters over which your own salvation or that of others depends. Please, I beg you, get some help and stay away from sites that cause you such internal turmoil. Even if it means avoiding certain threads here on CAF for a while.
 
LightBound said:
You asked what essentially is the same question last week.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=12152805#post12152805

Honey, you are driving yourself crazy with this obsession of yours. Please, get some professional help. This kind of fixation will end up leading you out of the Church if you insist on bringing up bits and pieces of personal opinions that are not official Church teachings (even if they are from Popes and Saints) to worry and dwell over. You may wear pants, work outside the home, and get a college education. These are not matters over which your own salvation or that of others depends. Please, I beg you, get some help and stay away from sites that cause you such internal turmoil. Even if it means avoiding certain threads here on CAF for a while.
Click to expand...
:clapping:
Thank you.
:angel1:
 
pianistclare said:
:clapping:
Thank you.
:angel1:
Click to expand...
:yup: It doesn’t help when well-intending members or those with an agenda to promote some radical form of Tradition start pulling quotes from centuries past regarding women’s roles, clothing, etc. All that does is push an inquiring person or a confused Catholic away…since it is an opinion or preference and not an official Church teaching on salvation.
 
Isn’t this like the third thread you’ve started on this subject? Do you think the answers will be different? Pope Pius wasn’t saying that it’s wrong for women with a gift of some kind to use it in a form of employment. What he was saying is that wives and mothers have a first duty to their families and they should not be forced away from that because of greedy employers who do not pay a living wage. During that time period, it was common in industries like mining and factory work for the wages to be so low that both parents had to work upwards of 60 hours a week in order to make ends meet. This practice does an injustice to the family, because the childrens’ social, emotional, and educational needs are not being met. That situation is very different from a modern woman seeking reasonable employment to earn income for her family, or to serve others, or for artistic fullfillment. However, I think it’s important for both parents to consider their families when making career choices. Money isn’t everything and family should come first.
 
Angell1, may I ask if you grew up mainstream Catholic? Your questions sound very like those of someone newly out of fundamentalism.
 
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