International women’s day is a day when the world recognize women’s rights and achievements in the workplace and society. It always makes me wonder though why the other side of their achievements don’t get mentioned. The part that you don’t get paid for but takes up an enormous amount of time and energy. I know that is what Mother’s Day is for – to celebrate all the mothers and what they do for their families. However plenty of working women don’t have families but still end up doing a lot more at home than their partner. Or they are just being expected to do more.
You do so much
Women’s day really encompasses the ability of women to just get on with the job. There is always work to be done and most of it falls onto the woman. When it comes to equality at home, in a lot of homes ,it is not a thing. Although many share a home the majority of the chores are done by the women in that home.
Women were created different from men and they have the wonderful gift of childbearing. Most of the parenting and instruction of the children also falls under the workload of the mother of the home. Why is it then that mothers are not valued at home. Why is it that although they do so much they are being ignored and just expected to get dinner on the table.
Nothing has changed really
I can recall doing an older customers’ hair and she was reminiscing about her days as a working woman. She told me as a woman she could work outside the house but it should never look like that. What she meant was her housekeeping still needed to look like she is a homemaker and have enough time on hands to keep her house tidy and pantry organized.
Well, not much have changed really. Nowadays many women absolutely have to work outside the home to make ends meet. Yet often her work outside the home is valued as less important. Often it is a part-time job or a job that allow her to be there for her children. When it comes to getting the same respect at home from her children it is not equal at all either. The children seem to always listen and obey their fathers much more than their mothers. That is not just in my home, I think it is a fair statement that it happens in most homes.
Being there for everyone else
Lots of women work outside the home and often they do fewer hours so that they can be available for the kids in the afternoon to get them to all their activities and to help them with their schoolwork as well as getting dinner on the table. Not to mention cleaning up after dinner, getting kids ready for bed, getting things ready for the next day and getting some work done yourself after everyone has gone to sleep. No wonder you would sometimes get an email response back from a working mom at silly o clock at night because that was the only time she had to clear her inbox.
With little sleep, or interrupted sleep she gets up early in the morning to get herself ready, get lunch boxes ready, get kids ready and getting everyone to school before you can get yourself to work.
Often during all of this there is the uncooperative child, or the argumentative child which can put a huge emotional tax on your morning. The teenager that hardly speaks to you all of a sudden inquires from you about the whereabouts of their other shoe….
Good on you Mom
So to all women who made it out the door today, I want to say Happy Women’s day.
To all the stay at home moms I want to say Happy Women’s day. Just because you don’t get the pay check does not mean that you don’t work. Nope, you are doing a very important job.
Raising up another human being.
It is a big job and it often goes unseen.
So many things that women do and experiences goes unseen.
You matter
It is so comforting to know that God sees all the unseen things. He created women different from men. He made you able to get up in the middle of the night and care for that same child that had such a nasty attitude earlier that day.
He gives you the ability to cope, the courage to keep going and the strength to accomplish great things.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
You matter.
Happy International women’s day.