Who Leads a Better Life? Working women or Housewives?

In the olden days, women hardly went out of their houses to work. The modern age has made it a necessity for the lady of the house to be an equal bread winner of the family. In other words, she is compelled to share the responsibility of bringing home income to live a comfortable life. The rising costs have led to an increase in the number of double income families.

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The debate as to who leads a better life, the housewife or the working wife has always been a hot topic of discussion. The roles and responsibilities of both are different and hence any comparison is not justified. But to outline their respective roles is of paramount importance so that people understand more about the lives they lead.

   THE HOUSEWIFE

The Role of a Housewife:

Housewives spend their time looking after their home and hearth. They do not have the responsibility of bringing home income to pay the bills. They cook, clean and care for the family members. These women run errands, help their kids with homework, and play with them, care for the ill family members. They dedicate their time for the upkeep of their home and family.  It is said that as soon as you step into a house, upon seeing the orderliness or lack of it, you can tell a lot about the lady of the house.

Housewives are available at all times for their family as they stay at home. One issue which they face is of friction with the mother-in-law, if they live in a joint family. Constant supervision can tire them, leading to feelings of worthlessness. Caring for children is a tough task and grandparents always tend to make their presence felt, which can disrupt the harmony in the house at times.

1. Personality Traits : Housewives are said to be mild, submissive and timid. They are known to adjust better as they can adapt themselves to situations in an efficient manner. They are unknown to the world as they stay at home. Their only real achievement is a happy and content family. They appear to be nervous in social situations as they do not work outside.
2. Their Challenges : A house wife has to adjust to each member of the family as she stays at home. Altercations are inevitable due to constant interactions. Feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness and depression could arise due to their monotonous life. Their actual worth is often measured by their service to the family, which is not regarded as an achievement in the outside world.
3. The Changing Trend : In the recent times, housewives are known as homemakers. A few of them work from home and make decent earnings, turning their hobbies into income. They run businesses such as, home-baking, tailoring, home-tuitions, catering, freelance writing and the like. Housewives are a confident lot today and move about the society with their head held high.

The Working Woman

The Role of a Working Woman: A working woman mostly holds a professional degree and intends to be a career woman. She is ambitious and gives her career the top priority and has less time to fulfill her home responsibilities. She employs staff for looking after her home and family. In-laws and parents also help her in her career pursuits by staying with them and looking after kids. She is not available in good and bad times due to her work schedules. As leaves are not granted easily and they are limited in number, her presence in home matters is negligible. As she climbs up the professional ladder, she gets busier and famous. She has no time to spend with her kids and husband as her weekends are spent in either parlours or shopping. Looking her best is of paramount importance to her as she is a cynosure of all eyes in social gatherings and at work. Her kids miss her presence and grow up without her constant care. She misses out on important milestones in her children’s lives. Managing work and home can get quite chaotic, leading to stress related issues. Feelings of guilt can arise in the later part of her life as she ages.

1. Personality Traits: The working woman is confident, bold and intelligent. She can help her children learn new skills with ease. As she is worldly wise having been exposed to different situations at work, she can mentor and guide her kids in a better manner. Her way of tackling domestic issues may be mature and smart.
2. The challenges:  As the working woman spends the major part of her life at work, she tends to feel lonely and stressed out. Her bond with the kids may not be very strong and the husband may have found other avocations to keep himself occupied. She may not have the energy or interest to get into domestic matters after work hours, leading to disharmony in their family.
3. The Changing Trend: Many working women are either quitting their jobs or taking a break from work to look after their children. The importance of a sound family life is gaining popularity amongst them.

All said and done, be it a homemaker or a working wife, each has a specific role cut out and it would not be wise to compare or judge their capabilities. Finally, all they require is love from their immediate family and support from their extended family.