What century are we living in?
To most respondents to this thread, here's what I don't understand: why is it that if you help out with the housework, cooking, and kids, or even if you do all of it, you consider it to be women's work?
What about single men, whether or not they have custody of their kids ... are they doing "women's work" when they do their own laundry, clean their bathrooms and cook their own meals? Was I getting my sons to do "women's work" when I required them to make their beds and clean their rooms when they were little, or help with the dishes, or when I taught them how to do their own laundry when they were teenagers? When I teach my adult son now how to make homemade biscuits or chicken and dumplings (because he is single, loves to eat well, and he wants to learn), am I teaching him how to do "women's work"?
These chores may have been women's work during the 50s when there weren't a lot of women in the work force, but now everyone pitches in with the housework, even the kids!
Sometimes I get the impression that a CDer's view of the world is severely outdated. Why is this?
If you could afford a nanny during your wife's maternity leave, then why can't you get some household help now that you are both working? Why not get a cleaning service a few hours per week, or for a full day every two weeks? I had such a person for a few years when the kids were little and it made running the household a lot easier.Originally Posted by Maria in heels
Just saying, you don't have to do it all. If there isn't enough leeway in the household budget for a cleaning service, why can't you and your wife split the household chores? If she has an extra 2 hour commute over you for example, then it makes sense you should to more, but if your weekly work and travel hours are the same, why do you not set boundaries for yourself?
Also, see my comment above your quote. If a guy does more of the household chores than his wife for whatever reason (and there are many plausible reasons nowadays why this happens), why do you think of it as a "housewife" role rather than a "househusband" role, or better yet, "the person who does more household chores"?
