What Would Happen if Women Left the Workplace?

Somehow in these kinds of topics, we all forget the RADICAL change that has occurred in families in the U.S. in the last hundred years, which was a speedup of what began with the Second Industrial Revolution.

Which is that in 1900 most people in this country lived on farms. The FATHER was at home.
Now in these topics we take it absolutely as a given that the man should go out to work, and hey, if they can't make it on one income, then he should get a second job.

What would happen if the father stayed home?
You may realize that there is already such a movement.
It is called patriarchy and it is thriving in some areas of conservative Christendom.
Such a movement as well as this thread's OP make good points. And I stayed home with my kids and sacrificed financially to do so. However, it can lead to all kinds of legalisms (read that Neo-Amish is the way to go for everyone) that traditional IFB's would never have dreamed of.

Karen

 

I believe this is poor reasoning. Of course the best students are foreign ones, THEY ONLY ALLOW THEIR BEST STUDENTS TO COME. There is 1.3 billion people in China and thier best and brightest come here. Indeed, even their schools in their own county will rank with better students, because they slowly weed poor students out of school, unlike the US with our crazy notion of trying to educate everyone, even dumb people. The same is even more true for graduate students. For every bright graduate student that gets the funding to come to the us, there is probably 1000s who don't get that chance. This would be like pointing to all of the American Students who were accepted and attend Oxford and claim all American students are brilliant.

That said, the scenario is great at the moment. Almost all the premiers universities in the world are in the US (that is why they are all coming here). It is a great mission field for the churches as students from all nations fill our universities, many of which will return home when they are finished. I went to one of the premier graduate schools in electrical engineering and the population of minorities and foreingers drawfed that of natives. I got to whitness to muslims, buddhists, Hindu, (mostly Hindu, which has been true of all my employment opportunites as well).

 

An education comes in handy if you'd ever like to work somewhere other then McDonalds.

 

correct donnA..

oh... in answer to your other post... no..
it is not too much to ask..

Sometimes it is too much to grant.. but not
to much to ask.

mark
<><

 

I have been staying home with my daughter for over a year now and I couldn't imagine having it any other way. We aren't starving, we have no problems making ends meet and we aren't on any kind of government assistance. My husband works hard so that I can be where I am supposed to be taking care of the home.

Seriously, the idea that society would fall apart without women in the workplace is absurd!! What occupations would be obsolete if all women stayed home and took care of their children?? Well, daycares, schools, many fast food restaurants, etc. So, none of those positions would need to be filled and the men that work those jobs (seriously, these are primarily female-filled jobs) would be able to have the higher paying jobs that women have....

Thanks for the great topic!!! I look forward to seeing how it develops....

 

I am glad that you are at home with your child. Being home with mine was worth it.

I think that you are responding to some of my points, and I think you have misunderstood. No, society would NOT collapse. But your idea that it would be like it is now, only there would be less jobs you disapprove of and more high-paying jobs for men would not be the case. There would be economic dislocation and major changes, some useful, some harmful.
Saying that is simply saying that decisions have consequences, often unintended.

If Christian people desire some of these changes, they, in my opinion, will have to do more than individual actions. They will need to band together to have structural change that supports this. For example, few small churches are set up to do more than put a bandaid on long-term needs of individual members.

Karen

 

Amen to the OP and the discussion!

 

My husband and I have talked about this many, many times. I agree with you 100%.

 

Karen, I agree that changes would have to be made, even from those who are already at home. We would have to give up some of the things that we feel are "needs" such as being entertained for the most part for one. I know that it would be major change. I also realize that it is not going to happen anytime soon if ever!!!! I'm realistic in that, but I don't think that we would have that many problems adjusting if it ever did....

 

Apparently you don't care about the children who would go without clothes and food if the family lived on one income. It's great that your family can do it, your husband makes enough so you can stay home. But do you know how many men in the country make minninum wage? Mainly becasue they can not get a better job, not that women have them.

 

What a horrid thing to say. I'm not expecting anyone to stay at home if they can't feed and cloteh their children!!!! That is why I said that it is not going to happen anytime soon!!! I'm so sad for you that you would say such a thing to me, as you do not even know me and what a caring person I am...I love children and can't stand to see any child cold or hungry...

 

Wow! That was a bit mean spirited wasn't it?

 

Donna, we all make choices in our lives that affect our family. Sins of the father, as it were. The men who are making minimum wage, in many cases, cannot get decent jobs because they are uneducated, untrained or have things in their past that would prevent them from getting good jobs. Others might have poorly chosen their career or left jobs when they should have stayed. Others are being replaced by recent grads who can work for half what a man with a large family needs. And then there are the men who have been replaced by women in corporate positions....

Don't blame joyfulkeeperathome because her husband's career can support them well enough that she can stay at home. I found your remarks to be very hurtful and am sure others did too.