A YW Career Night

[Anonymous]

Quote:

Ray wrote:

The irony is that many of the women who stay home have more kids still at home (both prior to school age and in school), are expected to more of the housework and school help, have husbands who are gone longer hours due to professional, salaried jobs, etc. Those factors, however, aren’t considered often – because, well, we all know SHMs have more time, since they have nothing else to do

Ray, you are correct. And I have been that SAHM with little kids who volunteered for everything. It was being Primary President, on PTA Board, I cooked a dinner for 50-60 at homeless shelter once a month that my husband and children could serve. I was active in the Legal Auxiliary and was the local county president and VP for the state. I also volunteered through the local chapter of a women’s league. All with a baby on one arm and a couple little ones behind me.

I know how a SAHM can volunteer and how devalued SAHMs have become culturally. I used to ask myself why SAHMs were so under-valued. Then I started coordinating volunteers for PTA. It was such a eyeopener. There were dads who volunteered, but the vast majority were women. Of those women, there were those who would help out in any way possible. There were women who would volunteer for a single shift if it is directly related to their child. Then there were the women who would only volunteer if their friends were involved. Without that dynamic, they were unable to do anything because they have young children.

The truth is that many SAHMs do not volunteer. They do social events, craft nights, and not much else. These are the ones who do not have job skills nor education and they do not want the situation to change. IMO, this group with a firm sense of entitlement is growing. I’m not sure if it is just a LDS dynamic or if it is a reflection of a larger societal issue.

[Anonymous]

Maybe it’s more of a U.S. wealth dynamic? In my world I just don’t know any SAHM’s, LDS and not, who feel entitled to do virtually nothing.

But YM and YW should get the same message: learn, train, aspire, and take care of you and yours. I wish I had had that idea placed squarely in front of me.

[Author]

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