What do you consider to be your "work"? Raising your children? Providing care to your elderly parents? Being a spouse? Climbing the corporate ladder? Building your own business? Volunteering in a ministry?
Or is the answer "all of the above"?
I noticed recently that some folks consider the term "a woman's work" to be derogatory. (Don't ask why it didn't occur to me before...I'm not certain, actually.) For some strange reason I always just read it as the work a woman does, or the tasks a woman performs. It doesn't have to mean "the work that only a woman does".
Last I checked there's only one task that only a woman can perform. (Frankly I wouldn't be surprised if men are bearing children some day due to some technological advancement. Wouldn't that be an interesting situation?) I've known female firefighters that put the men I know to shame, both in size and professional demeanor. I've known female police officers who have passed their Sergeant's exam with flying colors while the men stand in awe.
On the other hand, I've known men who are more nurturing and attentive to their children and parents than their spouses, and plenty who are better cooks than me. (The smoke alarm just went off...dinner is served, y'all!)
So am I living in a bubble or is the phrase "women's work" not as shaming as it may have once been meant to be? And what on earth set me off on this tangent? Read the opinion of the founder of the website Women's Work, then tell me where you stand on the phrase.
This reminds me of an article I read once (wish I could remember the author...) about women in traditional men's jobs (like construction) and men in traditional women's job's (like nursing). The women in the workplace experienced hostility by threatened, uncomfortable men. The men in "women's work" were welcomed and supported. Go figure. The men felt that a woman who could do their job equally well was a threat to their masculinity. The women who welcomed a man into their workplace believed that men adopting their career path elevated their job.
Related to this comment...I also read an survey in which respondents were asked to define "masculine" and "feminine." The definitions for the former were always terms like "hard," "tough," etc. The latter, "human," "kind," "gentle," "nurturing."
If either of these correlate to women's work, I'll take it.
Posted by: Aimee | February 6, 2006 10:58 AM | Permalink to Comment