s/o "full time mom" is "housewife" a derogatory term?

[Anonymous]

To me a housewife is someone who doesn’t have kids but relies on her husband’s income and doesn’t work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who says you need a “special passion” in order to have a job?

I would guess that most people don’t consider their jobs their passions and that is all right. They are satisfied with the knowledge that they are contributing to the world and their families.

Just get a job, anything.

Lol. My special passion is a roof over my head, food on the table and clothes for my kids.

LOL. My special passion is more and more education and college courses for myself, just so I become more informed. After all, a great education in the first place allowed me to make good amount of money in a few years, invest all of it and see it grow, and then take super-duper early retirement to stay at home with my kids. It has also allowed me to tutor my kids and guide them into great colleges and career. Raising successful kids that you can be proud of, having a great marriage and life, and having enough money for needs and wants is the reward I have got.

I am sure I will work if I need to to pay for a roof over my head, food on the table, clothes for my kids and medicines for the family. I would also work to provide college education for my kids. Thankfully, all of these things have been checked due to the fabulous education my parents paid for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To me a housewife is someone who doesn’t have kids but relies on her husband’s income and doesn’t work.

What about those who have servants and do not work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who says you need a “special passion” in order to have a job?

I would guess that most people don’t consider their jobs their passions and that is all right. They are satisfied with the knowledge that they are contributing to the world and their families.

Just get a job, anything.

You could contribute to the world by -
- recycling
- not eating meat
- not having more than two kids
- not using fertilizer, herbicide or pesticide
- making sure your kids are doing well academically
- volunteering
- driving a Prius
- eating local and organic produce
- not being obese
- walking more
- being educated
-not being on dole
- not wasting
- planting trees...

All of this is not what most WOH women do. So in essence they are not contributing to the world. Most importantly, if you have a high HHI, please do not take a low paying job that someone might need to sustain their family. Do not snatch the bread from the mouth of kids born in low HHI households.

SAHM here. This is a ridiculous list. Most of these things would be better accomplished if you murdered your family and committed suicide. Then you would drive nothing, take no jobs, and never waste.,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who says you need a “special passion” in order to have a job?

I would guess that most people don’t consider their jobs their passions and that is all right. They are satisfied with the knowledge that they are contributing to the world and their families.

Just get a job, anything.

You could contribute to the world by -
- recycling
- not eating meat
- not having more than two kids
- not using fertilizer, herbicide or pesticide
- making sure your kids are doing well academically
- volunteering
- driving a Prius
- eating local and organic produce
- not being obese
- walking more
- being educated
-not being on dole
- not wasting
- planting trees...

All of this is not what most WOH women do. So in essence they are not contributing to the world. Most importantly, if you have a high HHI, please do not take a low paying job that someone might need to sustain their family. Do not snatch the bread from the mouth of kids born in low HHI households.

All of this is not what most SAHMs do either. Just ones with super high earning husbands, which is not a huge population. FWIW I’m a WOHM and do all of those things except planting trees and driving a Prius.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To me a housewife is someone who doesn’t have kids but relies on her husband’s income and doesn’t work.

All married women, with servants, who do not have kids, ok, got it! So a woman gets married and instead of being a bride she is a housewife to the groom.

Umm...what if they are TTC or are infertile? Should they be called a housewife?

[Anonymous]

I say ‘I am retired’.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who says you need a “special passion” in order to have a job?

I would guess that most people don’t consider their jobs their passions and that is all right. They are satisfied with the knowledge that they are contributing to the world and their families.

Just get a job, anything.

You could contribute to the world by -
- recycling
- not eating meat
- not having more than two kids
- not using fertilizer, herbicide or pesticide
- making sure your kids are doing well academically
- volunteering
- driving a Prius
- eating local and organic produce
- not being obese
- walking more
- being educated
-not being on dole
- not wasting
- planting trees...

All of this is not what most WOH women do. So in essence they are not contributing to the world. Most importantly, if you have a high HHI, please do not take a low paying job that someone might need to sustain their family. Do not snatch the bread from the mouth of kids born in low HHI households.

Interesting, all but one describes me - regardless of my employment status.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who says you need a “special passion” in order to have a job?

I would guess that most people don’t consider their jobs their passions and that is all right. They are satisfied with the knowledge that they are contributing to the world and their families.

Just get a job, anything.

You could contribute to the world by -
- recycling
- not eating meat
- not having more than two kids
- not using fertilizer, herbicide or pesticide
- making sure your kids are doing well academically
- volunteering
- driving a Prius
- eating local and organic produce
- not being obese
- walking more
- being educated
-not being on dole
- not wasting
- planting trees...

All of this is not what most WOH women do. So in essence they are not contributing to the world. Most importantly, if you have a high HHI, please do not take a low paying job that someone might need to sustain their family. Do not snatch the bread from the mouth of kids born in low HHI households.

All of this is not what most SAHMs do either. Just ones with super high earning husbands, which is not a huge population. FWIW I’m a WOHM and do all of those things except planting trees and driving a Prius.

Well, to fully contribute to the world, you should start planting trees and driving a Prius, because otherwise you are a burden on Earth and messing up the environment. Since you are not looking after your kids "full time", you must have loads of time, why not contribute to the world?

BTW, what is super high earning husband? My DH makes 350K only and I do all of this. Not everyone is super rich.

[Anonymous]

Full time mom is derogatory because it implies other mothers aren't full time, which of course they are. Your child is always your child. You are always your child's mother.

Housewife is fine, if outdated.

[Anonymous]

Housewife is a bit Stepford, as is homemaker. Gag. I’d say I’m at home if I didn’t work. I was home part time before child started preschool and I was able to return to normal work hours. I don’t think it needs to be explained honestly. Or at least not nutshelled into one word.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To me a housewife is someone who doesn’t have kids but relies on her husband’s income and doesn’t work.

All married women, with servants, who do not have kids, ok, got it! So a woman gets married and instead of being a bride she is a housewife to the groom.

Umm...what if they are TTC or are infertile? Should they be called a housewife?

If she doesn't work? Then yes. To me, a wife who doesn't work and doesn't have kids would be a housewife.

A woman who doesn't work and has kids to me would be a SAHM. That would include SAHMs with full time nannies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work now, but when I didn’t, I just said (if asked) “I don’t have a job.”

In think it’s particular capitalistic to insist that a person work if they don’t need the money. Is my only value to the world a paycheck? There are actually very few “jobs” that add value to the world, most jobs just push paper around and destroy the environment. My office building actually THROWS away half finished rolls of toilet paper (yes I stalk the janitor’s cart).

There is a weird irony in vilifying women who are caregivers and volunteers instead of corporate worker bees. I’m all for women working if they are improving the world with their job - I’m looking at you Margaret Atwood - but insisting that the world needs a random corporate lawyer over an involved and loving parent isn’t feminism, it’s illogical.

Have you ever had a hard time internalizing this? For my family it truly makes the most sense for me not to work for a pay check and I don’t but I feel incredibly guilty about it.

I would never be able to not work. I just don’t feel like it’s right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work now, but when I didn’t, I just said (if asked) “I don’t have a job.”

In think it’s particular capitalistic to insist that a person work if they don’t need the money. Is my only value to the world a paycheck? There are actually very few “jobs” that add value to the world, most jobs just push paper around and destroy the environment. My office building actually THROWS away half finished rolls of toilet paper (yes I stalk the janitor’s cart).

There is a weird irony in vilifying women who are caregivers and volunteers instead of corporate worker bees. I’m all for women working if they are improving the world with their job - I’m looking at you Margaret Atwood - but insisting that the world needs a random corporate lawyer over an involved and loving parent isn’t feminism, it’s illogical.

Have you ever had a hard time internalizing this? For my family it truly makes the most sense for me not to work for a pay check and I don’t but I feel incredibly guilty about it.

I would never be able to not work. I just don’t feel like it’s right.

Ok. Go start a thread about it. OP specifically said...

“If you're a SAHM of school aged kids”......

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who says you need a “special passion” in order to have a job?

I would guess that most people don’t consider their jobs their passions and that is all right. They are satisfied with the knowledge that they are contributing to the world and their families.

Just get a job, anything.

You could contribute to the world by -
- recycling
- not eating meat
- not having more than two kids
- not using fertilizer, herbicide or pesticide
- making sure your kids are doing well academically
- volunteering
- driving a Prius
- eating local and organic produce
- not being obese
- walking more
- being educated
-not being on dole
- not wasting
- planting trees...

All of this is not what most WOH women do. So in essence they are not contributing to the world. Most importantly, if you have a high HHI, please do not take a low paying job that someone might need to sustain their family. Do not snatch the bread from the mouth of kids born in low HHI households.

SAHM here. This is a ridiculous list. Most of these things would be better accomplished if you murdered your family and committed suicide. Then you would drive nothing, take no jobs, and never waste.,

Well, Lemmings do it. Why don't we?