A housewife or homemaker is a member of an occupation that is very different from all other job occupations. Choosing to become a housewife should be considered an essential profession because it is an activity that provides an individual with a regular source of livelihood (Bergmann, 1981). The occupation of a housemaker is typically taken for granted. Men and women who dedicate their days to maintaining the households in order should be given respect as well as appreciation. Homemakers spend most of their time at home taking care of the children, cleaning the house, cooking for the family, doing grocery shopping, etc. The reality is that the society would not be able to work if women took away their contributions as housewives or homemakers (Narasimhan, 2008).
When looking at any occupation about compensation, it is essential to examine the tasks involved in that job that has monetary value. A housewife or homemaker performs many functions that have monetary value: therefore, they should be compensated. A housewife mainly cooks for the family; thus, she takes the role of a personal chef for the family. Usually, private chefs are paid about $18 an hour. Other than that, she also does grocery shopping which is also another critical chore. A homemaker is required to go to the supermarket, buy the food and make the deliveries. Grocery delivery services are usually expensive.
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Homemakers also ensure that the house is clean as well as efficient. The general cleaning duties include dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing sinks, sweeping, making beds, and washing the dishes. When considering to hire professional maids and cleaners, the house chores can vary in price depending on the size of the house. The average salary for maids is $9.97 per hour which can be very expensive for the homeowners especially if money is tight. As a result, a lot of women nowadays opt to become housewives. Because cleaning duties can be tiresome, housemakers deserve some compensation for their work since even maids and house cleaners receive pay for their hard work.
Homemakers also adequately take care of the children hence they even assume the role of a nanny. Taking your child to daycare services or hiring a nanny can be expensive. A professional provider of child care services may require health insurance, government holidays off, paid vacations, as well as bonuses. According to a survey carried out by the International Nanny Association, nannies make an average of between $600 and $950 per week in gross wages.
Homemakers also wake up very early in the morning to take their children to school and even pick them up in the evening. Additionally, they take them to a doctor’s appointment and practice for games or music. This role can be quite tiresome as the housewife also has other duties to perform. Taking your child to school and picking him up is not an easy task as it seems. For this reason, housemakers should be given the respect they deserve and the role should be considered an occupation.
Laundry services is also a part of a usual housewife job duty. Cleaning clothes becomes a cost when you have to pay for the laundry services that most housewives do for free. Professional laundry services charge roughly $10.01 an hour.
In a nutshell, when looking at the previously outlined job duties for housewives or homemakers and the costs of hiring professionals, it is evident that homemakers should be compensated as the duties they perform require a lot of energy. Being a housewife should be recognized as an occupation. Most women decide to become housewives to save on costs of hiring nannies and cleaning professionals, so they are willing to perform these duties without a salary. However, the time has reached for homemakers to be compensated for their housework duties.
References
Bergmann, B. R. (1981). The Economic Risks of Being a Housewife. The American Economic Review , 81-86.
Narasimhan, S. (2008, December 2). usnews/women-in-the-news/the-housewifes-on-payroll_7424/ . Retrieved from http://newsblaze.com: http://newsblaze.com/usnews/women-in-the-news/the-housewifes-on-payroll_7424/
