March 8th
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March 8th is blog against sexism day as well as International Women's Day. I was pointed in the direction of a site by fellow mogger Lola the car chick that asked you write a little something against sexism or for wimmin’s/women’s/gender liberation. They especially encouraged men to challenge themselves and write about the topic.I thought to myself, how do I even begin to try and relate to the topic. Being a white male, I am supposed to have it easy and things like this should not concern me. I then thought of what I have been doing for the last 15 months of my life and everything was put into perspective.15 months ago, my wife gave birth to our first child. This is when I felt I should be doing more to provide for our new found family. I knew with teaching, the financial gains would always be minimal, so I left in hopes of starting a career that would enable my wife to stay at home. While this is a very 1950's way of thinking, I knew it was something she wanted to do. I took the summer off and became a stay at home dad, figuring I would start looking for work once the summer was over. I soon found out how hard it is for women who decide to stay at home and take care of their children. I also found out that the job market isn't what it used to be and the role of Mr. Mom would be one that I was stuck with for quite some time. I took on the roles that would "traditionally" be left to the woman who stayed at home. Cooking, cleaning, laundry to name a few. All of this had to be done while taking care of our child. Not only did I find it exhausting, but it can be an extremely lonely time. Having no one to talk to, while having to focus on what needed to get done took its toll on me. I found myself more drained than after a bad day in the classroom.It made me think back to my own mother who gave up her career to take care of my brother and me. It made me appreciate everything she did for us that much more. While the role of being a mom is not a paid position, it is one that gets overlooked on a daily basis. The last 15 months made me appreciate what women have been doing since the dawn of civilization.Sexism is defined as prejudice or discrimination based on gender. Growing up I always thought that women should take care of the children, while it is up to the male to provide for the family. This belief with in itself could fall into the category of sexism. Over the past 15 months these beliefs of mine have changed greatly. While my wife still would like the opportunity to stay at home, it is going to have to wait. With today’s economy, living on a single income is not as easy as it used to be. I am going back into teaching, and luckily, my parents live close enough that they have agreed to watch our son while we are at work. I have heard it said that a woman’s work is never done, and I understand this more than ever.
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