Unpopular opinion - Being a homemaker is a privilege, and not oppression!

Many people today view being a traditional homemaker as oppression, to the point that many institutes such as the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) and the United Nations penalize the gender equality index score of countries where women are more likely to be full-time homemakers! So that means that a woman like me, by virtue of me choosing to be a homemaker, is making my country look more sexist!

Now, I understand fully in some countries, women are forced into not working outside the home, and that is totally wrong! However, in my countries, women are free to do whatever they want, and in such cases it is wrong to penalize a country if a higher number of women choose to be stay at home wives or mothers. Oppression is not women doing more housework and childcare than men, oppression is women being forced to do these things, especially under the threat of violence. When you have a husband who properly loves you, it is not oppression.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that being a homemaker is a privilege, and not oppression!

The definition of 'privilege'

"A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group." It's very easy to see how using this definition, homemakers are privileged, especially ones married to loving provider men. I will reiterate some of the reasons I made in this post, but here are just some of the rights and advantages of homemakers that spring to mind:

• Being able to take breaks whenever you want

• Being able to dress however you like

• Not having time restrictions on your lunch or breaks

• Having almost unanimous agency over what you cook, how you manage your schedule etc

• Not having to deal with unkind clients, mean coworkers or cruel bosses, and being surrounded by your loving family all the time

• Immediately profiting off the fruits of your labor (this last point might require some elaboration. Imagine you are a baker, and you bake a dozen cupcakes for a customer, you do not get to eat any of them. Now imagine if you were a housewife and you baked a dozen cupcakes, you would get to each some and share the rest with your family)

But what about unpaid labor?

The work of a homemaker is not unpaid, or else I would not be able to afford food, groceries, home comforts, vacations, videogames, or even this blog! But I can, because my darling works and provides for the both of us. In fact, I would even argue that I am OVERpaid. Being able to buy as many homemaking products, videogames, books and snacks that I desire and going on vacation once or twice a year is something I wouldn't be able to afford even on a full time salary!

Who are you working for?

The biggest privilege that homemakers have is that they are working for the people they love, safe, warm, and happy at home. A restaurant manager might yell at you for getting an order wrong, but a loving husband will instead kiss you and offer to order food instead. An irate boss might dock your pay for arriving at work late, but a loving husband will cuddle you before he leaves for the day. A company will fire you if you do not do any of your assigned tasks for a few days, but a loving husband will just offer to help you and understand if you are feeling tired. In short, being a homemaker is like being an employee who works only half the hours but still gets paid a full time salary, with a very lax and forgiving boss, while being able to choose their own schedule and uniform. What luxury!