Question

How do the women who have left work to raise their children at home deal with the apparent loss of gender equality that comes with their domestic identity over their occupational one?

Answer 1

Women who leave their jobs to raise children grapple with the balance between domestic and professional identities in the context of societal expectations and historical gender roles, often leading to a "second shift" scenario and contributing to the gender pay gap.

Step-by-step explanation:

Women who choose to leave work to raise their children face a complex interplay of gender roles and societal expectations. During the early 20th century, women's roles often encompassed both domestic duties and supplementary income through in-home labor. This situation evolved through the 1950s and 1960s when many working-class women also faced the stigma that their employment outside the home was a temporary necessity rather than a legitimate career choice.

Furthermore, women taking on the "second shift" encountered the additional stress of balancing professional and domestic responsibilities without an equal distribution of household tasks. Societal expectations and historical roles significantly affected women's experiences, with an ongoing concern that placing too much emphasis on women in the workforce could undermine the perceptions of the dignity of domestic labor.

The gender pay gap is another aspect influenced by gender roles, especially when comparing mothers who take career breaks to those who do not. Decisions about employment and domestic identity over professional identity must be understood within the context of historically rooted gender biases and the impacts on gender equality.