<p>This thread is really making me think about how we support each other. Basically, don’t we want women to be able to make any choice: mother or childfree, career or homemaker, etc.? At the same time, recognizing that choice is really a luxury for most?</p>
<p>I guess I think it very important young women have every sort of opportunity and choice in life, and all kinds of role models, and that we don’t put a higher value on any of those models, except as to how it is an individual “fit” for our personal inclinations and lives.</p>
<p>To make those opportunities and choices possible, it helps if society supports them. I am thinking about society encouraging women to work outside the home in industry during WWII. This was met with great approval in the media. PR campaigns were built around this need to get women into factories. When the men came home after the war, the PR campaigns did a 180 degree turn. The “right” place for women to be was in the home.</p>
<p>When the media glorifies homemaking, I get very uneasy and fear I’m being manipulated. Same thing tv or a news story says it’s a waste not to “use” my education in a real career.</p>
<p>So I think the question may be turn out to be much broader than whether we need our immediate neighbors approval. </p>
<p>The other thing I wonder about is how we frame the discussion. If I stay home with my own small children that isn’t “work” but if I go to an office it is. Someone takes care of my small children for me to work and that turns out to be her work. I am not an island. I need other women (usually women:)) to make my choice possible. Unless I choose to be childfree, which is going to solve a lot of problems for me. I can still “mother” the children of others if I have that desire. And maybe I become the best customer service worker in the universe!</p>
<p>Maybe once society acts like childcare is actually really important work and doesn’t just give lip service to the idea, the status of all women improves, including those who do childcare for a living. And we no longer debate SAHM vs working mom because we really do believe both choices are real work. When we try to say that now it frequently turns into bickering over whose choice is best. If childcare really is seen as work, because someone really has to do it, there seems to me no need for bickering. imho</p>
<p>It is difficult to take the emotion out of the whole discussion.
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<p>I don’t know if any of that made the least bit of sense and I don’t have time to post anymore today (hooray! hooray !!you are all thinking;) ) Have a great weekend.</p>