Are Housewives Extinct?

[Isis]

I was having a conversation with my daughter this morning about the jobs people do, which led to this:

Junior - "What is a housewife?"

Me - "Someone who looks after their home and children rather than going out to work."

Junior - "Like in the olden days?"



It got me thinking. Are housewives a dying breed? Will they be extinct by the time she grows up? If so, is this a Good Thing or a Bad Thing? Discuss.

[TurboTomato]

Judging by the amount that drive Chelsea Tractors around here, I'd say that they weren't a dying breed.

[Crazy Shark]

Maybe housewives will decrease in a few years because more women seem to be working. I'd rather work then be a housewife.

[Twirly]

Although not personally acquianted with any of them, the only wives and mothers I know of who don't work are married to men in the City who earn whopping great salaries and can afford to keep them. All my friends with children work, at least part-time. They have no choice in the matter.

I do have one male friend however who is a house-husband. Both children are now at school, so I think that he's trying to find other things to do now to fill his day, and hopefully earn some money, whilst still being there for them at the end of the school day, and having time and energy to run the house (he also has ME, so often isn't well).

[Tiger Feet]

Welllllllllllllllllll...we're not quite extinct, although I'm tempted to drive off a cliff due to the endless drudgery and then there will be one less and we'll be nearer the endangered species list.

I suppose I'm only a 'housewife' when I have to tick a box on a form. My husband is in the merchant navy and works away for five months at a time. I've an 8 yr old, 3yr old, 2yr old and a 14wk old and no time to do housework. In fact, I've just hired a cleaner because I can't seem to make any headway with anything. I am, therefore, a rubbish housewife! I also have very poor alphabetising skills .

I can't wait to get a job and my husband would love to be a house-husband (and he'd be a thousand times better at it than me) but, alas, I couldn't keep him in the style to which we hope to become accustomed (when the kids move out, obviously).

Should be genetically brilliant at housework though because it's all my mother and her sisters ever do or talk about and no-one is allowed to breathe in their homes (no friends or hobbies to make them interesting people!).

Once had a woman in the playground ask me how I do my ironing. She was actually serious. I now avoid the playground and wait on the pavement

[Caro]

The prospect of being a housewife... I cannot think of a better reason to shoot myself in the head, right now

[Genie]

I'd love to be, if I had kids and a situation where we weren't to become destitute because of it. I love to cook. And I love kids. I'm quite good at ironing while watching the TV. The place is clean (but not always tidy). So I think I'd make a reasonable housewife. But only as a stay-at-home mum (which in my opinion is a full time, very stressful job anyway). Not for the sake of staying at home, which would drive me nuts.

[batnurse]

Being a stay at home mum is fine when the kids are under five, but once they're at school full time then I can't see the justification. I recently asked a FTM what she did during the day and she replied "well it gives me more time for my hobbies..."

My mum worked full time as well as having four kids. We all pitched in with the housework and as a result I have three brothers who can all cook, clean, iron and sew a button on - surely that's a good thing?

[Tiger Feet]

Originally Posted by batnurse

Being a stay at home mum is fine when the kids are under five, but once they're at school full time then I can't see the justification. I recently asked a FTM what she did during the day and she replied "well it gives me more time for my hobbies..."

My mum worked full time as well as having four kids. We all pitched in with the housework and as a result I have three brothers who can all cook, clean, iron and sew a button on - surely that's a good thing?

I can't see the justification, but it's not really for anyone else to judge. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. If someone has enough money to support staying at home and their husband is in agreement, it's not really anyone's business. It'd be lovely to have more time for hobbies.

My hubby swears he learned his housekeeping skills at scouts, so my daughter will have to go there .

[FirstMove]

The difficulty of running a household on one income is a direct effect of Womens' Lib.

When it was normal for only one person in the house to work, the level of income that produced had to be enough to run a household - otherwise everyone would have starved or died of exposure.

Now two people need to work to run a househol and the quality of life is no better.

Extrapolating - Childrens' Lib is going to make matters worse still

[Brian Doolan]

Mine was still there last time I rattled the chain.




Please, please don't tell Jacqui I said that or my next Bud won't be cold enough

[Isis]

Originally Posted by Tiger Feet

I also have very poor alphabetising skills .

This must be awful! I can't stress enough the importance of having everything in alphabetical order. If only you had a close relative to take care of this for you.

Originally Posted by Tiger Feet

it's all my mother and her sisters ever do or talk about and no-one is allowed to breathe in their homes (no friends or hobbies to make them interesting people!).

I read this at first as your mother and your sister Though if the cap fits....

[Isis]

Originally Posted by batnurse

Being a stay at home mum is fine when the kids are under five, but once they're at school full time then I can't see the justification.

'cos full time at school is 9-3, with 7 weeks summer holidays and umpteen other holidays / in-service days etc. If you can find a job that fits in with that, you're a better woman than I am. I'm fairly sick of the struggle myself.

[~*~Saligal~*~]

They're an endangered species.... and some have now mutated and have an appendage! (am wasn't sure if I was allowed to say the P word).
I feel sorry for those who can't afford to do it - even if only for the first year of a child's life.
I think it's great that men are allowing their wives to work (if that's what they want to do) and stay home to look after the kids (if that's what they want to do). It can only enrich the child's life to have a Dad who wants to be involved in their upbringing (in a positive way).
Although I believe there's something inherent about Mum that Dad just cant do and be in the same way. Even kids that have stay at home Dad's still cry for their Mum when they get sick.

[Martin]

Originally Posted by FirstMove

The difficulty of running a household on one income is a direct effect of Womens' Lib.

I think it is more to do with the world wars, where women took up previously male dominate jobs, to help the war effort and then wanted to keep working.

Originally Posted by FirstMove

When it was normal for only one person in the house to work, the level of income that produced had to be enough to run a household - otherwise everyone would have starved or died of exposure.

Come on now, I know many single income families who have not as yet died of exposure and do not starve.

Originally Posted by FirstMove

Now two people need to work to run a househol and the quality of life is no better.

IMHO not true, quality of life is far higher, let's try a check list...

When I was a kid...

One pair of shoes a year (normally hand me down's re-soled)
Second hand school uniform, normally from my older borother with patched holes...
One christmas present, a cheap one.
Toys were only bought for Birthdays and Christmas, and even then they were normally made up of scraps of wood. Cards were hand made.
A car was seen as a luxury, so we walked, or we saved up for a couple of years doing part time jobs to buy a second hand bike.
Noone I knew expected to own thier own home.
No tele.

Expectations have risen... so 2 people go out to work in a family, for stuff that, is just stuff...

They then say they struggle, so let's see...

They have :
A washing machine
A tele
A fridge
A car
Maybe are buying a house
Bikes for the kids

etc. etc.

So housewifes can be housewifes... if they choose to be.
It is only materialism and not basic survival that stops them.

The bordom factor does come into it as well, as again, people expect more.. As long as you accept it is raised expectations, then sure go out to work during "school time" .

[Twirlie Bird]

It needs to be justified? I'm proud to be a housewife.

My children are almost all teenagers now but why does that mean I should go to work? I am happy at home. I take pride in keeping my house clean and tidy, providing my family with healthy nutritious meals and doing all the little things that get neglected simply due to a lack of time when working. I know that my Husband is coming home to a pleasant environment every night and a happy wife. That makes me feel proud. I am not stressed because I am trying to juggle work, kids and the home. I have time for everyone and we all benefit. Sure if I went out to work then we would have much more money coming into the house and we would be able to do more things but at what cost to the family? For me - for us - me working isn't really a viable option. It's about getting the balance right for your own personal circumstances.

Originally Posted by batnurse

My mum worked full time as well as having four kids. We all pitched in with the housework and as a result I have three brothers who can all cook, clean, iron and sew a button on - surely that's a good thing?

All of my children are fully capable of cooking and cleaning. I consider it my duty as a parent to ensure they are able to take care of themselves when they leave my nest. If they were not able to do this then I would have failed them.

[Cruella]

Originally Posted by Martin

So housewifes can be housewifes... if they choose to be.
It is only materialism and not basic survival that stops them.

The bordom factor does come into it as well, as again, people expect more.. As long as you accept it is raised expectations, then sure go out to work during "school time" .

Absolutely. I was a FTM for twelve years and I loved it and would hate to have had to go to work and miss out on all the time and experiences I had with my children.
Now they are nearly both into their teens so obviously more independant but I still only work 'school hours' I want to be there when they come home from school to greet them and give them a hug.
Yes, I have been lucky enough to have a husband that earns a good wage and also wanted that for his children. I can sympathise with those that really can't afford not to work, and single parents that have no choice. What I can't understand is those that have children and could afford to live on one wage comfortably, but choose to have them and then go back to work full time within weeks of the birth. Get someone else to nurture their children and sometimes be there to put them to bed. What is the point of having kids if you are not going to be there to be a mother to them?
(Cruella puts on her body armour and presses submit post)

Originally Posted by Isis

'cos full time at school is 9-3, with 7 weeks summer holidays and umpteen other holidays / in-service days etc. If you can find a job that fits in with that, you're a better woman than I am. I'm fairly sick of the struggle myself.

I did, I work in a school.

[stewart38]

Originally Posted by Martin

IMHO not true, quality of life is far higher, let's try a check list...

When I was a kid...

One pair of shoes a year (normally hand me down's re-soled)
Second hand school uniform, normally from my older borother with patched holes...
One christmas present, a cheap one.
Toys were only bought for Birthdays and Christmas, and even then they were normally made up of scraps of wood. Cards were hand made.
A car was seen as a luxury, so we walked, or we saved up for a couple of years doing part time jobs to buy a second hand bike.
Noone I knew expected to own thier own home.
No tele.



Expectations have risen... so 2 people go out to work in a family, for stuff that, is just stuff...

They then say they struggle, so let's see...

They have :
A washing machine
A tele
A fridge
A car
Maybe are buying a house
Bikes for the kids

etc. etc.

So housewifes can be housewifes... if they choose to be.
It is only materialism and not basic survival that stops them.

What’s that got to do with the price of eggs ?

You were poor , so ?

When I was a kid we had 3 teles went to Florida long before people went to Florida etc etc…

Nothing wrong with wanting more. Most people ‘aim’ to have at least a life style they grew up in

Originally Posted by Twirlie Bird

It needs to be justified? I'm proud to be a housewife.

No one needs to justify being a house wife

[Lou]

Originally Posted by FirstMove

The difficulty of running a household on one income is a direct effect of Womens' Lib.

Surely the whole point of "Women's Lib" was to empower women to choose what we want to do? It was to open up opportunities that were previously unavailable - not to restrict our choices in a different way.

Originally Posted by stewart38

No one needs to justify being a house wife

Exactly.

At the moment, I'm a housewife. But I'm not a very good one....

[Little Miss]

I think the term 'Housewife' has now changed to 'stay at home Mum'! and I am one!

I wish I was able to live a life of lunches and hobbies! Unfortunately, the life I have and that of other stay at home Mums I know is far from as easy - most of the t