Stay-at-home mothers play a crucial role in the economy and their families, as they do household chores without payment. They prepare meals, wash dishes and utensils, clean the house and compound, do laundry, cleaning closets, go shopping, care for their children, and feeding pets. Many of the house chores they perform go unappreciated, as some do not give it the credit it deserves. I conducted a random informal interview to understand how it would cost households to employ housemaids to replace the parents performing the chores. They suggested it would cost families a minimum of $1500 per month, and even some house workers would demand a $5000 monthly salary. The interview made many appreciate the importance of mothers in the economy of a family. The home labor by the mother enables the breadwinner father to go to work, leaving her wife at the household. The father does not worry about who is taking care of their home. The money saved from not employing a housemaid can meet alternative needs within the family.
Several perceptions contribute to the widespread belief that moms who remain at home do not work. An assumption of women holding a position of inferiority in society still exists (Odenweller & Rittenour, 2017). This ideology has created an interpretation in the minds of many individuals that ladies should remain at home and focus on duties. The cultural bias against some females in some communities has led to a stay-at-home policy for them. These women who stay at home performing house tasks have a significant economic role in helping families under financial crisis. It helps lower the financial burden that society entitles fathers to. Some cultures do not appreciate stay-at-home moms because of a perception that they are uneducated. It makes such societies believe such ladies cannot perform office labor. The community has placed more value on women who work in offices and degraded home-labor females.
In conclusion, the economic role mothers play in their families has been assumed by many people. They perform many house chores which households would have spent a lot of money to employ house helps. The cultural bias and ideology that ladies hold a position of inferiority in society have made people think that these ladies do not work. Some of these womens’ roles have gone unappreciated because of the low education level the women have. They place more value on women who work in offices.
The above meme photo is a funny reflection of the work that stay-at-home mothers get involved in. The stay-at-home mother is agitated after someone sarcastically asks what work she performs when she stays at home. I had initially thought that stay-at-home mothers do not perform many duties because of societal perception. The research in this module has helped me appreciate the work these ladies perform.
Reference
Odenweller, K. G., & Rittenour, C. E. (2017). Stereotypes of stay-at-home and working mothers. Southern Communication Journal, 82(2), 57–72. Web.