Is a HOUSEWIFE really unemployed?
Many women today are independent, successful, educated, professional, and
self-sufficient. These are the standards whereby we measure "success" and
people with these characteristics are what we regard as "intelligent" as
opposed to "uneducated." However, careful analysis reveals that the woman
of the house fulfills the following roles:
01. She has to be a wife to her husband. 02. She
has to be a mother to her children. 03. She is a teacher,
teaching her children between right and wrong.
04. She is a tutor, assisting with homework.
05. She is a psychologist, using her intellect in daily struggles with
husband and children. 06. She is a
counselor, counseling the children when a bully hits them.
07. She is a financier, budgeting the household expenses. 08. She is a
chef, preparing the meals. 09. She is a baker, baking
on special occasions. 10. She is a tailor, mending clothes.
11. She is a driver, ferrying the kids to and from
school. 12. She is a buyer and store clerk, ensuring that all basic
necessities are in the house. 13. She is a
switchboard operator, answering the constantly ringing phone.
14. She is a receptionist, answering the door
and receiving guests and visitors.
15. She is a waitress, feeding everyone at mealtime before she feeds
herself.
Considering the above multi-faceted roles of our wives/mothers/sisters in
society, it really surprises me when a woman is asked what job she has and her
typical reply is "Oh, I don't work. I just sit at home. I'm a housewife."
Housewife indeed! This "housewife" is actually the CEO, the general manager of
your house. She is the senior executive and fully fledged board member of the
fraternity that you call home. She ensures that everything (most of the time)
runs smoothly with military precision.
(Sadly however, some women fritter their life away by sleeping, shopping, and
gossiping.)
On the few occasions when things do not go as expected, men tend to let the
wives know in no uncertain terms that they are dissatisfied (by verbal abuse,
or sometimes even physical abuse). But how often have we informed these same
women about the times when things do go well? How often do we give compliments?
Do we counsel gently and encourage wisely, or do we assume that "there is no
point talking to her? After all she is just a woman."
A woman is a flower vase of beauty and fragrance. So smell her gently, do not
wrestle with her! - Imam Ali (as)
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