http://feministsforchoice.com/when-will-men-do-their-fair-share-of-the-housework.htm Pro-choice and Proud! Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:49:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://feministsforchoice.com/when-will-men-do-their-fair-share-of-the-housework.htm/comment-page-1#comment-2437 freewomyn Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:07:47 +0000 http://feministsforchoice.com/?p=3182#comment-2437 Amen, Beverly. Amen, Beverly.

]]> http://feministsforchoice.com/when-will-men-do-their-fair-share-of-the-housework.htm/comment-page-1#comment-2406 Beverley Smith Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:28:53 +0000 http://feministsforchoice.com/?p=3182#comment-2406 Getting men to do their share of the housework or care of children has two aspects. One is to recognize that women now earning should not have that double shift and men should pitch in. But the second unfortunate implication is that housework and care of children are both onerous, burdensome roles someone has to carry the weight of as punishment. The women's movement is wrong to look on traditional roles that way because that actually does not advance equality. It still ignores the free labor of care of the young, sick, handicapped and elderly that governments always just assume someone will do for free, even though the economy depends on it. The real liberation is for women and men to be valued for earning but also for the unpaid work of caregiving. It should not be seen the same as housework which may be self-care since care of others is not selfish, not a hobby, and not just fooling around with your free time. The 3rd wave of the feminist movement in fact asks for more than just having men do their 'share' of the burdens at home. IT asks for tax policy to respect those at home roles and to fund them, consider them vital work, to give them pension benefits for the time spent tending others and to redefine 'work' itself away from that old male patriarchal paradigm that work only exists if money changes hands and outside the home. Getting men to do their share of the housework or care of children has two aspects. One is to recognize that women now earning should not have that double shift and men should pitch in. But the second unfortunate implication is that housework and care of children are both onerous, burdensome roles someone has to carry the weight of as punishment. The women’s movement is wrong to look on traditional roles that way because that actually does not advance equality. It still ignores the free labor of care of the young, sick, handicapped and elderly that governments always just assume someone will do for free, even though the economy depends on it. The real liberation is for women and men to be valued for earning but also for the unpaid work of caregiving. It should not be seen the same as housework which may be self-care since care of others is not selfish, not a hobby, and not just fooling around with your free time. The 3rd wave of the feminist movement in fact asks for more than just having men do their ’share’ of the burdens at home. IT asks for tax policy to respect those at home roles and to fund them, consider them vital work, to give them pension benefits for the time spent tending others and to redefine ‘work’ itself away from that old male patriarchal paradigm that work only exists if money changes hands and outside the home.

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