Feminism: Single-Income Households

Posted on by Librin Latone

I’ve been jokingly saying for a few years now that everyone who works 40-hours-a-week needs a wife. It’s supposed to be funny. It’s supposed to ease the frustration that there just aren’t enough hours in the day to work a full time job and take care of a family.

Well, I think I am ready to declare that I think this is true.  Well, mostly true.  It really is a case of “the American dream is to have a single-income household.” Whether that is a stay-at-home Mom or Dad; or both parents working and they can afford in-home help (has anyone else noticed that the mom in Brady Bunch was stay-at-home and they had a housekeeper?!?!?).

We just can’t do it.  There a bazillion articles and discussions about the emotional burden of maintaining a home (cleaning, cooking, shopping for toilet paper) – much less adding in kids. Kids are a full-time job. Period. Do-Not-Pass-Go-Do-Not-Collect-$200.  Pretending that both parents should work and somehow kids magically get raised… well that is a cute fantasy world.

And notice, as much as the Brady Mom is my example, I am not saying that women should be 100% the one to compromise. We need to address that men should be allowed to cut back their hours, compromise their careers if they so choose. We need to address the social stigma that men are “supposed” to be the bread-winners.  If the man doesn’t want to, he should have those options too.

Every full-time employee/person needs a stay-at-home spouse.

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Published by Librin Latone

Writer, nerd, and perpetual student. I am obsessed with books - both the reading and the making of them. If I won the lottery I would try to have the best private(ish) library in the world. It wouldn't be totally private because the whole purpose of having books is helping other people find a book they will love. I have 2 cats, Genkii (energy) and Kawaii (cutie). I will mention them regularly because they are a daily delight in my life. Granted, sometimes when I'm playing video games they are not so much "delight" as they are "distraction"... but I love them regardless.

2 thoughts on “Feminism: Single-Income Households”

  1. As a full Time employee, living with another adult who is working full time, and SUPER helpful, taking on at least 60% of the domestic work (I take on 60% too, tbh) … YES to this 100%. We seriously CANNOT FIND THE ENERGY to keep our home as clean, cooked, and in decent care as we need to. if I didn’t have family in town to help, my life would be poorer (pay people) or much harder.

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    1. And moreso, somehow there is an exponential curve of things that need to be taken care of the more people that live in a house (1 might can manage 1, but somehow 2 doesn’t manage for 2!)

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