Unique contributions to society

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2006
Unique contributions to society
1504
Thu, 10-19-2006 - 4:12pm

In another thread, the "unique" contributions of SAHM's were alluded to but it wasn't stated what they are. Let's play a game and find out what they are. First, pretend that as of tomorrow, all moms SAH and detail what will be missing from society then pretend that all moms go to work and detail what will be missing from society. I'm really curious as to what people think a world without SAHM's orWOHM's would look like.

If all the moms who SAH went to work then the library would move story hour to the evening and summer vacation bible school would be held in the evenings so that all kids can attend and not just the kids of SAHM's. Banks would likely shift their hours to later in the day and you'd see more 24 hour stores. I think there would be more home cooking style restaurants too. I think day care centers would improve because of increased demand.

If all moms who WOH suddenly SAH, you'd see fewer service industries around because moms could do things themselves instead of paying for them. The nursing shortage would be more of a shortage. We'd probably have a shortage of teachers too. There'd be fewer government services because there'd be less tax dollars to pay for them. I can't think of anything else right now.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-01-2003
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 3:36pm

oooh, good point.

great point in fact.

i loath telemarketers.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2003
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 3:38pm
ROFLOL!
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-04-1997
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 3:39pm
I'll take this one...you sit down together like two grown-ups and list what needs to be done and what needs to be paid for, decide who is best at what, who will handle what bills, what each can spend without consulting the other, and what each's responsibilities within the household will be....so that if my responsibility is "dinner five days a week," I either cook, get somebody else to cook, or buy the dinner for that night....if his is "yard," he either does the yard work or hires it done...etc. We sit down as a family every Sunday evening and plot out the upcoming week, who is going to take which kid where, what special stuff we have coming up, who has just outgrown last pair of play shoes and who will take care of that, etc.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-01-2003
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 3:41pm

gotchya.

random question, but is she a live in nanny? as in she spends her entire day at your house with no kids to nanny?

that would seem very strange to me. granted, i can barely stand living with my own family, nevermind paid help. i'm a bit of a recluse, a hermit, and a curmuggeon in the making.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-12-2005
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 3:42pm
Women growing balls....that's interesting.;-)
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-15-2006
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 3:44pm

This isn't in directly reply to your post, but it was convenient to put it here.

Who has control and power isn't about who does what. It isn't about who does more of the housework or childcare. Control and power is about who DECIDES who does what. In our family, we decide TOGETHER. As it turns out, I do more of the cooking, more of the indirect child stuff, more (almost all) of the financial stuff. But I don't CONTROL those things or hold the power, because we decided TOGETHER, MUTALLY that I was the best one to do those things. (or in the case of many resonsibilities, that it was more efficient for me or him to do certain things)




Edited 10/23/2006 3:46 pm ET by ww.woman
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-30-2006
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 3:44pm
I don't think "WOH instead of SAH" is the proper comparison.

Sabina

Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song,

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 3:46pm
No, she lives out.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-04-1997
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 3:46pm
In our case, our primary care physician is married to a dentist, but she does have retired parents in town who are, I think, heavily involved in the children's lives and could handle a routine, "Johnny threw up in school and has to be picked up." But I do know she cancelled all appointments one day when she got a call that said, "Johnny has been poked in the eye with a stick and we are sending him to the emergency room in an ambulance with the school nurse." It turned out the kid was pretty much OK, but I don't think I'd want to have a physician treating MY child who was so worried about her own child that she would be distracted and more likely to make some kind of mistake.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2006
Mon, 10-23-2006 - 3:47pm

I agree.

I track all of our finances, make sure there is enough in the bank to cover bills and incidentals, and put money aside for savings. I am just very organized when it comes to that sort of thing. If it came down to it, my husband could do it too, but I don't mind doing it, and he doesn't mind me doing it either. I don't control the money however.

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