Macooo says:
Isn’t it amazing that we are still celebrating Women’s Day one hundred years later? A man asked how come we had a Women’s Day when there was no Men’s Day!
Why? Because women are still not equal to men in many areas: they still don’t have equal pay for equal jobs, they still don’t get the top jobs, they still aren’t allowed in some professions, when they do work they still have to hold not only to their job but also manage the household, do the cooking, cleaning and take time off when the children are sick. Some religions still view women as inferior to men: not allowed to be educated and “obeying” their husband rather than being equal to them. Some cultures still lapidate women for adultery but leave the men totally free of guilt. There is still too many: “That’s a woman’s job” when we talk about raising kids and household chores; or “That’s a man's job” when we talk about car mechanics, or construction engineering; or “Women carry the babies and have the kids, it’s up to them to raise them, that’s why they can never be equal in the workplace!”
Macooo says: That’s why there is still a Women’s day.
On the other hand:
It is true that women are different than men, but different in no way means unequal.
While I cannot disagree that it is the women who get pregnant, carry and deliver the babies and “that ain’t ever going to change darling”! There is no reason why men cannot take a much more active part in raising the children and doing his or her fair share of household duties.
But ladies, look around, things are definitely changing!
There is a definite improvement from the 60’s and the 70’s! When I compare my generation to yours, the things men do now with the kids and in the household are amazing. Now you have men who genuinely are doing their share and more, they help with the babies even change their diapers, give them their baths, put them to bed, they clean floors, they vacuum, they cook, and they do the laundry. Just in my tiny circle of friends and family I know two stay-at- home dads who enjoy the experience, while their wives are at work bringing the bacon as they say.
I truly admire men who respect thier wives as equal and help them achieve their goals. I feel blessed to know many men who actually are right in there raising the children, helping out with the chores.
It is really refreshing to see men like Derek, Kirk, Sean and Vail being so present for their children. (I have to mention them because they are part of the fore-runners of this movement).They can nurture a crying child just as well as a mother, they can also bond in the kitchen or in a hockey rink, they can bond mowing grass and reading a book, they have their special bath games and private jokes. They also clean up the kitchen, clean the floors, do laundry, pick-up toys and they are real men!
Maybe many women in my generation just didn’t dare asking? Maybe it was so engrained in our generation that women stayed home, raised the kids and their place was not in the work force that we just did it, frustrated by the inequality of it all. I remember many a time when my father’s moustache would prickle up his nose because he just thought I was a dreadful wife to let my husband press his own shirts. It never entered his mind that I was working full time, didn’t have a maid, was taking a bus at 6:00 a.m. after having served him breakfast in bed, and came home by bus around 6:30 p.m., and was the only bread earner in the family while he worked on Masters degree and then his medical school…and guess what, I never asked him to press my uniform for work!
Women have come a long way in their expectations; they demand more from their spouse than we did. I think it is better for all concerns: children, dads and moms.
Macooo says: you’ve come a long way guys! Be happy you didn’t need a Men’s Day to get there!
Cheers,
Macooo
