I think a lot about how society seems to want these clearly defined gender roles – women cook and clean, men do the fixing up of things around the house and car, etc. But, if you really think about it, people who only know how to do things based on their gender roles seem to be at a disadvantage.
I have a son, and I definitely expect him to know how to cook and clean. After all, unless I think he’s going to live with us until he finds somebody to move in with that will do that for him, he’s going to need to learn at one point. Eating in is a lot healthier than eating out for every meal, and more cost effective. Don’t get me wrong – before COVID-19, we ate out a lot. Then COVID hit and I got paranoid about going out and about and ordering things so much, so we started cooking more. We saved…so…much…money. It was ridiculous.
The other thing is, as a woman, I feel like you definitely get taken advantage of if you don’t know the basics around car and home repairs. I can’t do every car repair by myself, but I’ve learned enough from my husband and friends to generally understand what’s going on or what could be wrong so that if I have to go to a mechanic, they can’t scam me. Granted, I found a mechanic I can trust, but he might not be around forever. Do I still get mansplained when I go out and about? Yes. But at least they can’t trick me into things that don’t make sense because I can understand a bit of what’s going on.
My husband and I have strengths in what we do – so we divide along that. I do tend to do more of the dishwashing and laundry, but he’s been doing more of the cooking. We both pitch in on car repairs and home repairs (though if it requires more strength, my hubs has to be the one to do it!). We’ve changed lighting and fans, built closets, and more together! Money wise – I do the day to day things (pay the bills, etc.), while he does the long term planning (though I still give input and we discuss everything together).
Also, this whole thing about certain colors being for girls or guys. Do you know how expensive baby things are?? I will happily take that $100 dollar almost pristine baby swing for my son even though it’s pink, thank you very much. Or all those crib sheets or blankets. Granted, I haven’t put my son in a dress or anything yet, but I don’t care if he plays with pink things. I don’t think it’ll influence him in any way.
In the end, I think it works out well for us. A lot less resentment because I don’t feel like I have to do everything. And my hubs doesn’t expect me to. We still argue about some chores, don’t get me wrong, but I think it helps to know that we’re each carrying a load.
Miuzing 