In marriages today, some argue that it is the responsibility of both spouses to earn a living for the family.
Yes
- When there is a talk of gender equality in every sphere of life, why should this duty be left to only one gender
- Millions are spent on educating women and empowering them, so they must also use their knowledge for the betterment of their kin.
- The current era when the family system is influenced by nuclear settings, it is difficult to make ends meet without both the partners sharing the responsibility.
- The cost of living is rising in every manifestation: education, accommodation, and so on which cannot be met with a single earning member
NO
- Conservative approach relies heavily on the predefined duties: men are begetters and women are meant to rear the offspring and look after household chores
- Both spouses should not work as it can affect the children adversely: the duties should be shared one looking after the earning and the other the family obligations
Even though dual-income households might seem more practical to some today, I fail to concur with this system; it is bound to precipitate unwarranted challenges.
Those advocating this suggestion base their argument on the perceived gender equality. They profess that when both sexes enjoy similar privileges, gain comparable education, and so forth, there is hardly any rationale left to vest this duty in only one spouse, generally males, to strive to support their family single-handedly. Sharing the burden of earning livelihoods can render respite to earning members, and contribute to comfortable lifestyles.
Moreover, investing millions into educating and empowering women has become a new normal, making it imperative for them to work to help their kin make their ends meet. This would not only allow them to use their education meaningfully but also help ensure better standards of life, and a secure future for their progeny. However, these benefits are ephemeral, and carry challenges obscured from immediate view.
Nevertheless, this perception is fraught with complications: affording quality upbringing to children becomes onerous; both parents face time constraints when it comes to spending time with their offspring, making the latter go astray due to inadequate monitoring and counselling: a common malady plaguing juveniles today. Additionally, marital discord is another ramification of this approach; spouses rarely spend time with each other owing to long working hours, thereby straining relationships. As per Office for National Statistics, steeply rising incidence of divorces among working couples are attributed to married partners not devoting attention to aspirations of each other.
In hindsight, disputes aside, notwithstanding the short term gains, in terms of rendering financial stability, this approach is destined to engender disruption in familial relationships and unfavorably impact rearing of the next generation, something that could have enduring impact on families.
