Women are made to be mothers, you can argue this point all day long, however with the countless responsibilities and sacrifices that entails motherhood, it can and should be considered a full-time career or job. If you are paid for your efforts outside in the world of work, why is there no overarching authority paying mothers and housewives for fulfilling such a necessary role that maintains human civilization?
My amazing mother has given birth to not one, but six children (including myself) and I'd be fooling myself if I said I can repay her for less than half of what she has done for me. And it is for this reason alone and also on speaking behalf of women all over the globe, a mother's life should be made as comfortable and smooth-sailing as those agencies in control can get it to be.
Child- benefit is something that UK citizens should feel very privileged about, since at least some contribution is made by the government in supporting the living costs of bringing up children and providing for them. Needless to say though, however, child benefit is not near enough to cope with the demands that children bring to the forefront as well as ensuring no child goes without. We now live in a consumerist society more than ever, and children as young as five are targeted and so parents have to deal with the bulk of lists of things their child/children want. Also, the levels of inequality in society are another reason why parents are under pressure. Every parent desires to give their children what they want and when they want. However, when this is made difficult, it can really have a knock on effect on the kids as well as the rest of the family. The kids do not always understand and are not totally empathetic and so parents are made to feel bad and unworthy at times.
Housework and looking after children should not be overlooked, it is something that requires great skill and determination. My mother has carpel tunnel syndrome, which makes it extremely difficult for her to complete basic tasks - like chopping vegetables or hoovering. But that does not stop my mother, she goes even harder. She cooks us lunch and dinner everyday, hoovers the whole house (7 bedrooms and all - no we are not rich) up to 7 times a day. My dime of a mother hardly gets enough sleep, because she's too busy making sure the house is pristine clean at every second of the day in addition to ensuring we are all seen to and heard. Very often my mother has been labelled a machine, as she works very fast and efficiently and is always on the go. My nan (my mother's mother) once remarked that no invented machine, no matter how hi-tech can keep up with my mother's work rate nor do the job as good as my mother can.
Because my mother has carpel tunnel syndrome which causes excruciating pain in her hands, and as she suffers from muscular pain in her body, she is deemed unfit for work. I thought I'd jump the gun and mention this since my mother would like to work, however due to her physical health, she is unable to. In addition to this, my mother was educated back home and so her qualifications will not allow her to get a job here. This is a problem not just faced by my mother, but many mothers that come from a range of cultural backgrounds. So it is no wonder that in certain communities, being a housewife is the norm with a backdrop of difficulty in going against this.
With that being said, not any Tom, Dick or Harry can become a housewife. A housewife bears responsibility for housekeeping, children, gas and utility bills, cooking and the emotional baggage that comes with every person in the household. We are yet again under a Tory government and with the ongoing speculation and rumours that welfare cuts are going to be a thing of the future, I feel it for those women who cannot work and so are reliant on the government's social security benefit/s.
Living in the 21st century, it feels almost abnormal that being a housewife is not an occupation you can list on a form. I think it would be a fantastic idea to start paying women a living wage for bringing up the next and future generation of leaders, motivators, teachers, doctors and writers. Does it not make sense to invest in the roots of our economy? I hear you say yes, well the roots are us and those that are taking their first toddler steps and drooling in their sleep, incapable of changing their nappies by themselves.
Women are indeed the backbone of our society, since they bear the responsibility of raising the future talent and intelligence which we will come to benefit from. Therefore, it seems only fair to recognise this contribution that housewives make in enriching not just one life, but the lives of many.
Lets start paying women, but for the real work they do.