No Job, No Kids, No Problem!

Journalism has demoralized me far past the point of ambition, of belief in hard work, of wanting anything out of life other than to escape from its grasp. Which is why I hate the women in the article linked to below. Since I don't have money to go back to school or pad my bank account while I try to get in on the ground floor of another profession, this seems like my new dream job.
Click below to read an article from CNN detailing the latest trend of women becoming housewives, even if they don't plan to become mothers:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/08/05/lw.nokids.nojob.wives/index.html

Some people might say that these women are a drain on society or uneducated.

As to the second claim, one of the women interviewed has her Masters in English (which, though probably not the smartest--read lucrative--field to specialize in, at least proves she is literate).
And as for the second claim, I feel that it's not as clear cut as it might seem. Many people who criticize such people are probably motivated by jealousy--they too hate their job, but don't have the option to just quit and rely on a spouse.

As for the rest, what is the problem? Americans are notoriously workaholic and disconnected from the way the rest of the world lives. While other developed nations have more vacation time and less possessions, we prefer to buy material trophies to signify success. Living well might be the best revenge in other parts of the world, but in the U.S. it's having the most stuff. So stepping out of our Puritan work ethic world for a moment, what is the problem with wanting to enjoy life and not spend it slaving away at a job that you hate?

Financial freedom for women is one of the best ways to promote equality, so feminists might not be quick to defend these women, but I think that's wrong. As Simone de Beauvoir wrote in "The Second Sex" one of the reasons that women are not equal is because their work is to maintain the status quo, while a man can make tangible strides toward improvement. For example, women were traditionally only allowed to be homemakers, and that job by definition is to maintain the status quo: no one notices that dinner is ready on time, that laundry is done, or that carpets are vacuumed until a woman falls behind, when the negative result is criticized. No matter how well a woman dusts her mantle she will never win acclaim from the neighbors--she can only hope to garner their scorn if she lets the dust sit. Meanwhile, men work outside the home in jobs that are structured with tangible milestones for success: As a man works hard and advances in his career, he earns raises and promotions and gets to exercise more control and responsibility, all of which are outward signs of success that are unmistakable to peers.

What does this have to do with stay-at-home wives? Well, because the domestic was (and the majority of the time, still is) the domain of women, it was belittled and trivialized. And it is not the only thing guilty by association with women. In a male-dominated world, feminine characteristics, like expressing emotion and compassion were looked down upon in favor of more masculine approaches. And despite strides forward, many things seen as 'feminine' are still looked down on. Therefore, it's no wonder that today, when people hear about women staying at home, they automatically trivialize the job of running a house because women's work has always been something to belittle.

Of course, there are exceptions. In today's world, where women can and do have careers outside the home, it seems unfair to me if a man was struggling to support a wife and she continued to be a fulltime homemaker. In such cases, a woman should go out to work like her husband to make ends meet so that the husband isn't unfairly stressed, effecting his health and happiness.

But if a man likes his job, makes enough money to support a stay-at-home wife, and both spouses like the arrangement, why not? If there are any men out there who feel that way too--especially if they look like Christian Bale--give me a call!