It’s the same within professional music too. I observed as a kid in school that only girls seemed to pick the flute to play—boys wouldn’t touch it. However, when I watched professional orchestras on TV like the NY Phil or came across solo records with world star flute players such as James Galway and Rampal…Guess what! Mostly men.
Yes to all of this! Oddly enough as you mention, in male-dominated countries, men do all the "female" responsibilities. The general public seems to take something more seriously if it comes from a man. Men would be lactation consultants if we let them.
Reading this was like getting smacked in the face (…in a good way). It’s true. If something is done ‘for love of others’ and for free, it is a woman’s task. Whilst my husband does almost all of the cooking I do the cleaning, the picking up, the tidying, the vacuuming, the washing, the folding, paying bills, supporting the children, making the house look attractive and feel comfortable, etc. Kudos to the cook always, but the other tasks or chores are expected because I guess they’re my job, even though I’m a professional and work full-time. 🙄 I’ve tried not doing them in protest, but things grind to a halt.
The other professions that sprang to mind were Doctors and Nurses. Nurses have typically been helping (and training / protecting) Doctor’s for as long as both roles have existed. Initially the role of Nurse was female-centric until pay and prestige were elevated. The intersectional factor is ethnicity. In Australia, white Australians have become less interested in commercial caregiving and we’ve had to import skilled immigrants from Nepal or the Philippines.
Thank you for the additional examples. So we'll observed. I was actually thinking about adding the doctor nurse dynamics into this piece because this is such a typical example. And yes, what you describe is very common in relationships. Men do the stuff that gets attention and visibility and women are the ones who do all the tedious repetitive stuff that keeps the boat afloat and gets ignored
No disagreement with anything you wrote - just one question: In the 45 years we've been married, although I had a well paying job outside of the house - I have also been responsible for half of the child care (3 children) , been a carpenter, electrician , roofer, plumber, Christmas present builder, toy fixer, car mechanic, chauffeur, cook, appliance repair person...should I go on?
And you are correct, I did not list laundry as one of my skills - my wife prefers to do that herself.
Our youngest -daughter- made money in High School by doing Tune-Ups and Brakes and has been proficient in car repair since the age of 15.
I would argue that some of us men do as much unpaid work as women do, yet we take pride in the accomplishment rather than complain.
When you become an adult - you are expected to be able to take care of yourself - cooking, cleaning and shared responsibility for children is part of adulthood.
It’s the same within professional music too. I observed as a kid in school that only girls seemed to pick the flute to play—boys wouldn’t touch it. However, when I watched professional orchestras on TV like the NY Phil or came across solo records with world star flute players such as James Galway and Rampal…Guess what! Mostly men.
Such a good observation. Didn't realize this but yes arts and music fall into this as well 👏
Yes to all of this! Oddly enough as you mention, in male-dominated countries, men do all the "female" responsibilities. The general public seems to take something more seriously if it comes from a man. Men would be lactation consultants if we let them.
💯
Men's theft from women is quite literal.
Reading this was like getting smacked in the face (…in a good way). It’s true. If something is done ‘for love of others’ and for free, it is a woman’s task. Whilst my husband does almost all of the cooking I do the cleaning, the picking up, the tidying, the vacuuming, the washing, the folding, paying bills, supporting the children, making the house look attractive and feel comfortable, etc. Kudos to the cook always, but the other tasks or chores are expected because I guess they’re my job, even though I’m a professional and work full-time. 🙄 I’ve tried not doing them in protest, but things grind to a halt.
The other professions that sprang to mind were Doctors and Nurses. Nurses have typically been helping (and training / protecting) Doctor’s for as long as both roles have existed. Initially the role of Nurse was female-centric until pay and prestige were elevated. The intersectional factor is ethnicity. In Australia, white Australians have become less interested in commercial caregiving and we’ve had to import skilled immigrants from Nepal or the Philippines.
Thank you for the additional examples. So we'll observed. I was actually thinking about adding the doctor nurse dynamics into this piece because this is such a typical example. And yes, what you describe is very common in relationships. Men do the stuff that gets attention and visibility and women are the ones who do all the tedious repetitive stuff that keeps the boat afloat and gets ignored
No disagreement with anything you wrote - just one question: In the 45 years we've been married, although I had a well paying job outside of the house - I have also been responsible for half of the child care (3 children) , been a carpenter, electrician , roofer, plumber, Christmas present builder, toy fixer, car mechanic, chauffeur, cook, appliance repair person...should I go on?
And you are correct, I did not list laundry as one of my skills - my wife prefers to do that herself.
Our youngest -daughter- made money in High School by doing Tune-Ups and Brakes and has been proficient in car repair since the age of 15.
I would argue that some of us men do as much unpaid work as women do, yet we take pride in the accomplishment rather than complain.
When you become an adult - you are expected to be able to take care of yourself - cooking, cleaning and shared responsibility for children is part of adulthood.