The Equitable Division of Labor Within the Home Essay

The Equitable Division of Labor Within the Home - Essay Example While one was a full-time job in the sense of being never-ending and the other was only full-time as defined by law and when in public, this was deemed a reasonable exchange. What was truly unfair about this arrangement was that neither party had a choice in the matter. If the woman wanted to work or the man wanted to stay at home with the children, neither one could do so and still retain the respect of the community. As times have changed and it is now necessary for families to have two incomes in order to survive, it is becoming increasingly more acceptable for men to take part in traditional ‘woman’ duties. As it becomes more acceptable for men to take part in these duties and more recognized that one person cannot do all things, more men are doing things that have been associated with women’s work. For example, there are many men today who will go to work in order to allow the wife to go to school and get an education. Although this is still usually after the man has managed to get an education and a good job, the idea of one half of the couple working while the other goes to school seems to be, today, more evenly split regarding which half is pursuing education. This can be proven by looking inside any college classroom where there are just as many young wives as there are young husbands. There are also many couples today where both halves are working and going to school at the same time so that both can get ahead in their careers without losing time. The sacrifice they make is not whether one will get an education and the other will not, but the lifestyle that they live while they’re getting their education, opting for smaller apartments in less expensive parts of town. There are also many of these equalizing activities taking part inside the home. Many men today are in charge of making sure the children have eaten a healthy meal, and sometimes the wife, too. You see just as many men in the grocery store as women and some of them  even have the children with them.