A lot of us enjoy housemaking
The opinion article, “It’s time for women to quit housework,” by Sarah Green Carmichael, The Day Sep. 9 (Bloomberg) is one of the silliest essays I have ever read. According to the author, all that goes into running a household indicates not a woman’s executive and management skills, but her exploitation — the eternally-cast June Cleaver.
I like creating a sparkling home, shopping, cooking and yes, folding laundry, although I admit to giving up ironing years ago. Why should I resent what brings me great satisfaction? While my husband was the sole breadwinner and I was a stay-at-home-mom, we were accustomed to our distinct roles: his in the office, mine in the house, though there was always overlap. When I went back to work, we agreed to divide up household chores more evenly.
Now that we are happily-retired oldsters, I am again supervising and executing those chores, but they neither define me nor confine me. Yet according to Carmichael and an “expert” she quotes named Eve Rodsky this shows just how out of touch I am. Instead of whistling while I work, I should be “understanding that my time (engaged in domestic tasks) is not worthless,” even though I have been ”conditioned since birth to believe it is.” Huh? C’mon, put a sock in it!
I’ve got news for the patronizing Carmichael and Rodsky: I enjoy all the elements of homemaking. I do not feel oppressed and I’m betting there are a lot of us out there who would agree with me.
Anne Bingham is a resident of Colchester
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