Mama just read to me that more and more women are the breadwinners in the family. More and more women earn more than their spouses. And more and more women (“four in ten households with children younger than 18 now include a mother who is either the sole or the primary earner for her family” according to Pew, the research group) are doing everything as single mamas—taking kids to school, going to work, picking up kids, handling doctor, dentist, and VETERINARIAN (Yuk!) appointments, you name it. In short, working full time and overtime, often with no man permanently in the house to help. These mama were certainly pregnant, but they are a long way from barefoot!
Now, mama did not have kids, but she did work. And a lot of women going in and out of her business and classes did have kids and went to work full time, making it easier on the family to have a comfortable life and, for example, the luxury of having a kitty around the house (okay, okay, or a doggie), which always keeps things balanced and positive. Everyone will agree to that.
Now, the odd thing is, mama says, is that the article points out that when there is a woman in the house earning more than her partner, she also seems to do more housework, not to mention all the schlepping and grocery-buying and chauffeuring of kids (and possibly husband or partner!) than if her partner earned more. Guilt about making money? Worried that her man might feel diminished by her success?
Interesting.
I can understand that because I am an observant feline, and I see that some tom cats need to strut around with attitude like those cowboy types who sort of swing everything when they take a step and kind of puff up their chests, looking smug as if they had just ridden the biggest bull in the ring and the bull lost. You know those guys, right?
Some tom cats just have to sidle and preen (unlike papa)—hey, the male of the species is the one who gets all the colored feathers and gets looked at as a possible mate in the animal world, not the other way around and without the struts and machismo look, they feel powerless. So maybe a woman earning more than the man of the house is a bit emasculating.
But in my view, it takes a real tom (like papa) to see equality in the family as a huge plus, to see females as people who are not only competent but complementary to the relationship between men and women that has been unbalanced for so many decades. It takes a real tom not to be threatened by a little, cute able-bodied kitty multi-tasking and bringing in the tuna at the same time.
Maybe what I’m saying is that when there is a female anthro earning more than the male anthro of the household, the male needs to replace jealousy, envy, suspicion or trepidation/fear about what she is doing with esteem and admiration and team spirit.
He should really feel just plain lucky to have a woman like that to help the family be safe economically, and I know, as a kitty who came to a house where everyone is equal, that I had to learn some new rules: no one is better than anyone else; everyone’s ideas are welcome (not that I have a lot of those but…they listen when I do) and we all try to see the best in one another.
Hey, you toms, there is nothing in an able woman that’s ever going to diminish you and your worth in any way, in fact, it’s just the opposite. You’ll be a better tom for it.
And you just may get an extra nice little head scratch or tummy rub for your efforts…
Once again another great entry. I actually have a few things to ask you, would be have some time to answer them?
I answer all questions. But I have to ask—are you trying to advertise through my blog? I hope not.