The article “The Approaching Obsolescence of Housework: A Working Class Perspective” by Angela Davis addresses on the liberation of women from their socially regarded functions in society. Angela's unique perspective on women's roles as housewives and history of house works gives us a clear perspective on the plight of women in society. The article shares a different perspective to the traditional view of women as housewives in the community. Instead of judging women on their femininity and history of their work development, Angela critically argues for socialism of housework.
Angela’s “Approaching Obsolesce of Housework” begins with the chronology of the description of the chores that women do on a daily basis. The writer has given the purported roles society has entitled women. These works consume a lot, so the women's time they rarely get appreciated for their efforts. It bothers that no matter how hard and perfect that they try to do their work it seems to be virtually invincible and only seen when not done. She gives a scenario where men will notice an unmade bed but not cleanly scrubbed floor.
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What I see to have stood out in this article is that women want responsibilities to be equally divided or distributed in their home. In as much as I agree that they do a lot of work and need to help, I think that sometimes they do not want to be helped in doing their job. They have set their standards on how their work is supposed to be done and once men who try to help them don't meet the standards women get angry or sometimes choose to redo the work. However, men should learn always to learn to appreciate the efforts that women make in their households.
Women in pre-industrialist times and states played a central role in the economic system of the community. Whereas in other places when men were involved in hunting of animals, and bird’s women and their role as the also gathered fruits and vegetables. This signifies the importance they had in a community. However, there have been significant changes, and women have been left behind to do less economically profitable works. They are involved in washing dishes, making beds, scrubbing floors and motherly chores that are deemed to be unprofitable. I think that women do essential jobs in homesteads and need to be paid for their work. The way that people associate home chores to be economically unproductive needs to change.
Payment doesn't bring happiness to one's life. Although women are advocating for payment for the services they offer by doing house chores, pay does not necessarily give them self-satisfaction. The writer has documented an experience of a Senegalese woman who had been in search of employment only to land with a French family and became a governess. Although, she is enthusiastic and happy for the wages she receives for her services. The realization of the type of work she is destined to be doing sends her into desperation. She is in despair, and she finally results in suicide. I don't think that payment or money could be the solution to all problems, although the woman in search for work got a paycheck every end of the month or at intervals in which she was paid. She lacked enthusiasm and love for the job. I think any particular job requires motivation that makes one do it wholeheartedly.
Socially constructed ideas on housework make it challenging to obtain socialism. Kitchen and housework have been greatly associated with women. Traditionally these roles have been distributed to them, and men do want to get associated with them. In the article, Angela describes how men are increasingly volunteering and devoting their time to helping women and their wives in doing housework. However, they still have the assumptions that housework is for women and are only helping out. In my opinion, cultural and social concepts about women and house chores have been in existence for a long time and still do exist. In as much as a change in thinking is required, changing the mentalities might take generations for some of the changes to be seen and felt, but it is certain that changes are imminent.
Black women in the colonial era were equal to their male counterparts. They used to labor for wages. They were significantly involved in outside work rather than household work. They could be seen working in industries and cotton fields for wages contrary to the white counterparts who were involved in household work. This according to the author makes black women stronger and are not associated with the weakness stereotype. The black women had a double burden as they had to do house chores and also provide labor for wages. I think black women were strong. The type of work they did that is otherwise associate with men show their effort in improving their communities. In this scenario what stood out for me is the view of the author on race. I think that black women were not fairly treated during the colonial era. They were subjected to hard labor and poorly paid. Yes, for sure they had to remain strong for their families and communities, but the fact that they were not equally treated like white women angers them. However, their assertiveness and self-persistence make them strong. Feminists struggled to address economic inequality. The writer accuses the white women of not pushing hard enough for an equal commercial society. Capitalism, whereby people sold their labor for the wage was accepted by the white. Women were to be fair to other people in the community. Black women were allowed to offer their services on household chores to gain wages and revenue. The white movement that was supposed to champion for equality seemed to have been satisfied with that.
Angela seeks to find the importance of finding a central point between class, gender, and race more specifically for the black women in the United States. Her aims to enlighten people on the negativity of oppression. In oppression times liberations emerge. She seeks a solution in education which she thinks plays a significant role in emancipation. She further demonstrates that success achieved when there are cooperation and togetherness in the contribution of community. Although gender inequality has been in existence for the longest time, there have been changes in people mentality and the processes of thought. Women nowadays are in the cooperate world an idea that has become a pretty typical cite. Women have been embraced in the modern society today.
Works Cited
Davis, Angela Y. Women, race, & class . Vintage, 2011.
