1950's Housewife

It's very difficult to discuss my views on marriage with a Feminazi (i.e. a rude Feminist). I believe in women's rights, equal pay, freedom of choice, etc., but my ideas on marriage are quite traditional.

1. Cooking: Although I definitely love a man who can cook, I assume that I will do the majority of the cooking once I'm married. And that doesn't bother me! I think it would be rewarding to have my husband come home and dinner is on the table, ready to go. And it might be kind if fun to pack him a lunch every day before work. Now I'm not saying that I would cook EVERY meal EVERY day (I refuse to let leftovers go to waste!), but after a man has been slaving away at the office for 8 (maybe more hours), I think he deserves a nice, home-cooked meal.

2. Cleaning: Since living on my own, I have become a neat-freak (see here). I take pride in making my living space look presentable, not only for guests but for myself. And when I am married, I plan on doing the same thing. Of course I don't enjoy dusting or cleaning the bathtub, but the end result is very rewarding. If I would already clean my own place regularly, why wouldn't I do the same for the home my husband and I live in? And the same argument stands: after working all day, my husband shouldn't have to walk in the door and be handed a mop and rag with me telling him, "Get to work."

I realize that the fact that I only list these two items does give the impression that this is all women are good for, and that's certainly not how I feel. But I can't list "raising children" since I myself do not want them. And maybe this is a cynical view, but I really do think these are two of the main reasons men get married. Of course he loves you and you're his best friend and blah blah blah, but I bet he gets off on the idea of not having to eat Ramen noodles or run a vacuum cleaner again.

And of course you're thinking, "Well, are you going to stop working once you get married?" Probably not. I know what it feels like to be unemployed, and it is BORING. There are too many hours in the day to be able to fill them all without some sort of work. But ideally I'd like to work part-time so that I do have more time to be at home. Even working 9-3 would give me two extra hours at night to cook, clean, run errands, etc.

Also, there are certainly benefits that women reap from marriage as well. It's nice having someone else unclog the drain (even though it's my hair that's clogging it up), take care of the car, and figure out how to file our taxes (yay, tax benefits for married couples!). It's give-and-take on what men and women get out of marriage (besides happiness and love of course [insert sarcastic smirk here]).

And if you're one of those women saying, "Well, I'd make my husband cook and clean for ME!" here's my response: Unless you're a very high-powered woman (CEO, attorney, etc.), no man is going to want to marry you. End of discussion.