Changing roles: Is it doing more harm than good? (Times change, and so do we!)

I’m so disappointed that in the 21st century, some people still have a belief that a man goes to the office while the woman stays home, cleans the house and looks after the babies. Now, where do these people expect house helpers to go with this increasing rate of unemployment?

Thursday, July 04, 2013
Patrick Buchana

I’m so disappointed that in the 21st century, some people still have a belief that a man goes to the office while the woman stays home, cleans the house and looks after the babies. Now, where do these people expect house helpers to go with this increasing rate of unemployment?We are in an era where women are great competitors, giving even the most accomplished of men a run for their money.  No more are women looked down on because they are the weaker sex – that is so Stone Age! If women are seeking empowerment, they are well within their rights. If you ask me, this whole changing roles thing has put lazy men to the test.  For instance, if a man was to lose his job, should the family go hungry just because a woman taking over will bruise his ego?  When you get married, you get a partner, not a maid. We just have to find a way to balance the roles – if she has to bring home the bacon, then let him stay home with the kids untill he finds a job. No one has to demoralize the other. It’s as simple as that.  For a long time now, women have put great effort in being educated and I think it’s a damn shame to sit on all that potential, waiting for a guy to put bread on the table when they can build their own careers. I really don’t understand why they would spend years inhaling chalk dust and putting up with obnoxious teachers only to graduate and then warm the house!  We can’t afford to live like that anymore; with the prices of things going up every second, we need all the help we can get. A man helping with the chores and even doing simple things like bathing the kids shows a sense of maturity and not a spot on his macho scale.  Besides, any man who says he is not impressed by a woman dressed in a classy suit, holding a briefcase and looking ready to take on the world has issues. At least it’s a better sight than the one in a "kitenge” at home bending over a basin of clothes. Honestly there is no such thing as changing roles; we are sharing them. In this day and age, you can’t expect anything less!