I recently had a conversation with a young mother who has a toddler which she not only loves being at home with but also understands the immense value of being a full-time mother to her gorgeous little girl. Despite this, she is thinking of going back to work.
When I asked why, she said she wanted the freedom to spend money - shoes and handbags were high on her list - without having to account to anyone else, namely her husband, for her periodic indulgences.
This seems to be a recurring and common attitude that I see in young (and even more mature) women, and sometimes men. They think that if they are not the ones directly responsible for earning the family income they have less right to that income. Using that logic the one who is not responsible for actually shopping, cooking and presenting the meal on the table would have less right to eat it.
Surely marriage and family life is a matter of teamwork, a division of labour that benefits all. It is only our societal worship of all things material, and by extension the currency that enables us to acquire them, that leads us to give greater value to the breadwinner.
So the fundamental question is: are we worth it? If we don’t think we are, then all the money in the world won’t change the persistent sense of emptiness we feel inside. which we try to fill with things outside of ourselves (bags and shoes are really good for this - don’t get me wrong every self-respecting woman needs a good supply of both, but it’s all in the intention behind the buying, not the act of acquiring itself).
If women valued themselves more and had a greater appreciation for their contribution to soul life of this planet - as well their invaluable and inimitable contribution to all aspects of life - we wouldn’t even have to ask the question.
