I am still under the weather but feeling much better. While I am on the mend, enjoy this post from May of 2010.
Gas Cooking Ad "Better Homes and Gardens" September 1961; Image courtesy of SaltyCotton on Flickr.com
I get so annoyed when I read comments about homemakers being subjugated and reduced to second class citizens. To be sure, in the past (and, unfortunately, in many ways still) women were treated like second class citizens–we didn’t have the right to vote, own property, or even hold credit in our own names. But there is absolutely no reason why homemakers should feel inferior because “they aren’t contributing to the household income.”
Bullpucky, I say, to the idea of not being contributors! We are full partners in the money-making endeavor. We are just the “silent partner” that works magic behind the scenes. Kathy Brown, of Wingspouse.com, has coined (and trademarked) the term “wingspouse” to describe the executive wife who partners with her husband for mutual success. A wingspouse(TM) is her husband’s confidante, helps him analyze a situation, brainstorms with him, and helps work the room at professional events. In essence, like the fighter pilot’s wingman, the wingspouse has her husband’s back. I like the imagery that the term elicits but I don’t think the idea has to be limited to the executive spouse, You see, in my mind, those things are simply part of the job description of a homemaker.
For example, when we watch old movies and television shows, the wife wants everything to be perfect when the boss and his wife are invited to dinner. The work going into such meals isn’t subjugation; it is an opportunity for the partners to work in tandem for their mutual success. You might say all of those dinners and cocktail parties that epitomized the post-war period were really a form of networking. How much more relaxing it is to get to know each other over a delicious meal rather than those sterile and awkward “networking events” that those climbing the career ladder are forced to attend.
Your home is your family business. What can you do to ensure the business runs smoothly for your mutual benefit?
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