My husband and I often discuss things of a political nature, which we should know by now is not really the best sort of conversation to sustain that lovey-dovey feeling we have for each other. Yet, we do it anyway.
We were, naturally, discussing the economy and the real reasons why things are going to hell in a handbasket. You know, besides the fact that America is being run by a bunch of greedy, corporations. As usual, the discussion took several wrong turns with both of us having to declare "I agree to disagree".
One point that I hit on that he did seem to think plausible is that there are simply too many people in the workforce and the jobs market was never designed to sustain that many people.
Traditionally speaking, unless the men were at war or when the feminist movement demanded women be allowed equal responsibilities and pay in the workforce, women stayed at home to raise the family and the men went to work. This knocked out half the population.
When women and men started competing together and a two income family became the norm, the markets were able to take advantage of those two incomes and charge more for their products. This also allowed for more disposable income in general for the family, so things like going to the movies and week-long family roadtrips to amusement parks were the norm.
The bubble burst a couple of times, but new technology was on the rise and we were able to produce more, faster and better than ever before. Personal computers were booming and the internet was rapidly coming into play in the early 90's. There was more than enough room for everyone who wanted a job to get a job.
Then the dotcoms burst, mom and pop operations started disappearing because they couldn't compete with the big box stores, natural and man-made catatrophes devastated lands, crops...the list just goes on and on.
All of these things that kept people in their jobs were no longer there. And thinking on all of this, I really had to wonder just what kind of an impact the feminist movement had on America's jobs market.
I think it's fabulous that women can choose to be who they want and do what they want and work in the fields that they desire. If it weren't for the feminist movement, I doubt I'd be sitting here on this website day after day expressing my opinions on sex and the world I live in. I'll be forever thankful for what those women (and men) did for women's rights.
But, I can't help but think that at least one spouse should stay home. It doesn't have to be the woman, unless she wants it to be. Dad/Husband could stay home with the kids while mom becomes a success in whatever she chooses.
It just seems like in the old days that the children turned out better, behaved better, and did better in school than what's going on in today's generation. Those kids of yesteryear had someone at home with them to make sure they followed the fules and did their homework. (From personal experience growing up in a single parent home, a total stranger would have been more interested in what I was doing than my mother.)
What do you think? Do you think the market can handle both spouses/partners working or should at least one of them stay home to handle the family (if there is one, household if nothing else)?
We were, naturally, discussing the economy and the real reasons why things are going to hell in a handbasket. You know, besides the fact that America is being run by a bunch of greedy, corporations. As usual, the discussion took several wrong turns with both of us having to declare "I agree to disagree".
One point that I hit on that he did seem to think plausible is that there are simply too many people in the workforce and the jobs market was never designed to sustain that many people.
Traditionally speaking, unless the men were at war or when the feminist movement demanded women be allowed equal responsibilities and pay in the workforce, women stayed at home to raise the family and the men went to work. This knocked out half the population.
When women and men started competing together and a two income family became the norm, the markets were able to take advantage of those two incomes and charge more for their products. This also allowed for more disposable income in general for the family, so things like going to the movies and week-long family roadtrips to amusement parks were the norm.
The bubble burst a couple of times, but new technology was on the rise and we were able to produce more, faster and better than ever before. Personal computers were booming and the internet was rapidly coming into play in the early 90's. There was more than enough room for everyone who wanted a job to get a job.
Then the dotcoms burst, mom and pop operations started disappearing because they couldn't compete with the big box stores, natural and man-made catatrophes devastated lands, crops...the list just goes on and on.
All of these things that kept people in their jobs were no longer there. And thinking on all of this, I really had to wonder just what kind of an impact the feminist movement had on America's jobs market.
I think it's fabulous that women can choose to be who they want and do what they want and work in the fields that they desire. If it weren't for the feminist movement, I doubt I'd be sitting here on this website day after day expressing my opinions on sex and the world I live in. I'll be forever thankful for what those women (and men) did for women's rights.
But, I can't help but think that at least one spouse should stay home. It doesn't have to be the woman, unless she wants it to be. Dad/Husband could stay home with the kids while mom becomes a success in whatever she chooses.
It just seems like in the old days that the children turned out better, behaved better, and did better in school than what's going on in today's generation. Those kids of yesteryear had someone at home with them to make sure they followed the fules and did their homework. (From personal experience growing up in a single parent home, a total stranger would have been more interested in what I was doing than my mother.)
What do you think? Do you think the market can handle both spouses/partners working or should at least one of them stay home to handle the family (if there is one, household if nothing else)?
