Comments on: Bloggin’ is Awesome!

By: mischiefmanager

mischiefmanager — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:26:12 +0000

It’s the Palinization of America. In a variety of ways.

By: emilyanne

emilyanne — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:01:22 +0000

oh this drives me insane, i work from home, I earn a salary equivalent to my husband who would certainly never describe me as a stay at home mum and yet tons of people, many of whom have known me all my life, say ‘oh it must be so nice to be at home with your kids not working’. I AM WORKING DAMN IT. I just happen to have a job that allows for flexible childcare. Arggghh.

By: Spark

Spark — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:17:59 +0000

Oh, I just meant I’m an amateur because I love being at home (instead of the office, where I am now), but I haven’t figured out how to monetize couch-time. Bad joke. Anyway. I’ve noticed that a lot of “make money from home” ads are targeted at mothers. “NY Mom Makes $3000 a Week from Home!” Mom is always in the title. The internet seems to know my gender and where I live, and assumes I’m a mother who needs an income.
On top of underplaying women’s labor, I think the narrative compensates for social status anxiety. Like, “I might not have a career or high-status job, but that’s ok because staying home is awesome!”

By: bluebears

bluebears — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:14:49 +0000

@JD: you should write a blog or something, that sounds so interesting!

(back to the post) Yeah, I think its about the whole, “happy housewife” thing. Like, its a somewhat defensive (in my opinion) stance that some SAHMs take with the rest of the world at large because they perceive (and in some cases this perception is correct) that they are looked down on by others in the “real” workforce.

By: PhDork

PhDork — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:12:29 +0000

Of course, Spark. I have a number of friends who do work-at-home stuff and are very grateful for the income, the adult interaction, and the time they get w/ their little ones. My critique is how this company is discounting women’s labor on all fronts by pretending that staying home is all soap operas and snack time, and yet women’s true calling and the best thing evar, and also saying “but that’s not enough–now bring home the bacon, mama!” It’s exactly the mentality that leads to the second shift. There’s a “you go, girl!” ‘tude here that hides the “you have to do MORE to be considered enough” message. Raising kids and running a home is work. Selling (or whatver) is work. But put them together, and sell it as a hobby, since you’ve got so much free time? That stinks on ice. Also, it seems pyramid scheme-y to me. (PS: If you’re an amateur, what makes one a “professional” SAHM? Another kid? 5 years on the job? Blogging about it?)

Great example, JD. It’s the framing. And the fact that our culture is always already to negate, deny, belittle, or smear women’s efforts in the paid workforce, as baraqiel’s post points out.

By: Spark

Spark — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:37:14 +0000

I agree with everyone, but just to add: I see a lot of ads for “businesses” that let you work from home, and the fact that you can do it at home is a selling point. For mothers without childcare, being able to generate an income at home IS awesome. Maybe I’m biased because I love staying at home, though unfortunately I’m still an amateur.

By: baraqiel

baraqiel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:30:32 +0000

“Bein’ an Entrepreneuse is Awesome!”

The funny thing is, that might mean “prostitute”. I saw a long list of French words once where the masculine was just the word and the feminine implied prostitution…like, entertainer, delivery person, etc.

But yeah — I’d love to see a guy who works at home doing web design or some such talk about how “stayin’ home is awesome!”. My father is working from home right now — I’ll ask him if that’s his main opinion on the issue.

By: BeckySharper

BeckySharper — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:21:54 +0000

JD, that reminds me of one of my favorite feminist quotes:

“Women have worked, constantly, continuously, always and everywere, in every type of society, in every part of the world since the beginning of human time.”
–Heather Gordon Cremonesi

By: J.D.Regent

J.D.Regent — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:18:39 +0000

Oh I am just being paranoid in case someone who knows me recognizes me. It was Zambia.

By: rodriguez

rodriguez — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:17:53 +0000

JD Do you need to be vague about the country for some security or confidentiality reason? PS totally germane and interesting, as is the original post, PhD