Get to work, gurl…

The real glass ceiling is in the home, declares Linda Hirschman, a retired professor and controversy-ridden feminist. In her book, Get To Work, she says that while the workplace has evolved to put women on par with men, we have not budged much in changing the role of women at home, even though different waves of feminism have come and gone.

What is the ultimate source of power in our market economy? Money. So forget those arts and social science degrees. You think studying philosophy (or literature, in my case) will help you plot world domination? Think again. I don’t think she says liberal arts courses are worthless but women must be more practical in what you will do with such an education. You could become a professor and earn big bucks when you publish several books, but how many liberal arts degree holders are doing that?

Amidst her aggressive and erudite debate, she manages to squeeze in hilarious gems. For example, on her point on making housework a priority in your life, she argues, if your man asks, “Where’s the milk?”, it’s not just an innocent question. It really means, “Hey you are in charge of the milk. Where is it?” Should women concern themselves with trivialities like absent milk? Have we really moved on from hunter and gatherer instincts?

Her solution? Marry down or marry a man who truly believes in gender equality. The latter is more challenging so she suggests getting hitched to someone who is financially dependent on you, like a construction worker or a struggling artist. If you are the breadwinner, you’ll be making the decisions in your relationship, and therefore not subjucating yourself as a woman who thinks she’s the primary caretaker of the household and offspring.

How about kids? Just stick to having one, she urges. More than that and you’ll be forced to leave your job, according to the statistics she found. Women tend to give up their careers when the second or third child is born. This juggling act is just not feasible if you’re working days and nights where the home is a place only for sleep. Where would you find time to teach your kid her ABCs and when to poo?

On the subject of poo, apparently, rich housewives who wait with bated breath on the successful poop, have degraded themselves to the lowest caste in society. Cleaners of human waste have long been considered to be the lowest rung in the world of “careers”. Are housewives then considered “untouchable”?

No wonder her strong words created a gush of emotional rebuttals. I don’t agree with her wildly impractical ideas but I agree opting out is really another euphemism for giving up. Housework is an evil force for idle minds, that I agree. I’m an advocate of working till you get stuffed into a coffin.

In the meantime, the kangaroo will have to contend with a filthy shoebox, soured milk, absent Diet Coke, empty whiskey bottles and a drought of Dairy Milk chocolate, because I will be busy morphing into an independent woman.

Just want to share Linda Hirshman’s original essay Homeward Bound.

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