The problem isn't that women do too much "unpaid labor". The problem is that men do too much "paid labor".

eldred2 · 2019-12-20T21:32:16+00:00

If a stay-at-home spouse is entitled to half of the other spouse's pay, how is that unpaid labor?

InitiatePenguin · 2019-12-20T16:51:43+00:00

Could it be that she was spending more money than what she wanted to earn herself, so her husband had to work extra hard to make up the difference?

I don't know why you even have to begin to explore these negative assumptions.

Maybe workplaces should make it easier to spend time with their families and kids. Maybe we should see the rewards of productivity increase go towards leisure.

If you want your husband home more, try spending less of his money and earning more of it yourself.

This women was a teacher. She had a job. Ffs.

I've got no problem with split income household. But there's contributions to the home being made even by the stay at home mother/father. Again, let's get companies on board with better work/life balances rather than sending another person to the same punishment you're so concerned about for the man.

A lot of men would love to spend more time at home with their families but can't because of the spending and earning patterns of their partners.

While not a representative stat, do any you guys here have this situation? So concerned with gender equality you married into an unequal marriage?

The goal should be to reduce the pains of corporate slavery not force everyone to submit equally. And how a couple wants to arrange their homelife and financial situation is up to them.

If you end up on a date who is only interested in their lifestyle being subsidized without reciprocity, walk away.

mtcapri · 2019-12-20T23:40:26+00:00

These are two different sides of the same issue.

What I think often gets left out of the discussion is the fact that men also traditionally perform work at home that is unpaid.

Aaod · 2019-12-20T20:42:21+00:00

The doctors or lawyers wife cheating with her tennis coach is a stereotype for a reason... but having that person work less hours would be ridiculous that might lower my quality of life slightly or I might not have as much status then! It is the usual case of wanting their cake and wanting to eat it too.

bkrugby78 · 2019-12-21T15:35:29+00:00

A few questions here because something about this always bugs me.

When feminists talk about "unpaid labor of women" do they mean the work women do as far as taking care of the home?

Looking at traditional relationships, ie single income, typically it was the man who went out, worked long hours, providing for the family and the wife's responsibility was taking care of the home.

In more modern times, I think most spouses both have jobs they work. And work in the home tends to be divvied up based on certain skill sets. Wives take care of the home, husbands take care of area outside the home (mowing the lawn, fixing things, general repair, etc.)

Growing up, my parents had equal share in the duties. I'm the youngest of six boys. My mom tended to do the cleaning around the house, whereas my father did more of the mowing the lawn, setting up the pool etc. Both cooked, though my father tended to grill where as my mom preferred to do more cooking in the Kitchen. Either would do what the other does, cooking wise, in situations where one parent was coming home late or was away (which meant I never got to enjoy Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, but home made Mac and Cheese which is a lot better lol). Both also did gardening together (and forced us to join in, though I still hate weeding).

Looking back I don't know if this was done based on traditional gender roles, but more based on what each was best at. Of course, having six boys, this meant that we also had to pitch in and contribute to the household chores.

Granted I don't know what every single relationship is like, but it's bizarre to me that this is not the case in most relationships, where partners pitch in based on what they are more comfortable doing.

vorhex · 2019-12-21T02:41:01+00:00

This isn’t a leftist analysis in the slightest.

This female sex offender had a job. Stop focusing on individual grievances and look at the larger systems at play.

50 years ago, families could live off of one parent’s salary. One parent could earn wages and one parent could do the unpaid labor that reps households functioning. But since the 80s, wages have stagnated, most households have 2 wage earners, and cost of living continues to skyrocket.

What changed? Well, Reagan happened in the US, Thatcher in the UK. Neoconservativism and neoliberalism. Unbridled capitalism at the expense of working people. And now we’re over worked and fighting over scraps.

The problem isn’t some woman whose husband works too much. It’s the people who have rigged the system so that millions have to work multiple jobs to barely get by, in the richest country in the world.

Title	The problem isn't that women do too much "unpaid labor". The problem is that men do too much "paid labor".
Author	Oncefa2
Upvotes	40
Comments	27
Date	December 20, 2019 4:06 PM UTC (4 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/LeftWingMaleAdvocates
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/LeftWingMaleAdvocates/comments/edc3fp/the_problem_isnt_that_women_do_too_much_unpaid/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/LeftWingMaleAdvocates/the-problem-isnt-that-women-do-too-much-unpaid.1064272 https://theredarchive.com/post/1064272