Betty Friedan -- A woman now praised for her 'feminist' work, was, in truth, the originator of so much disharmony, so much discord between men and women, so much misdirection in the life of the sexes, so much misplaced ambition, so much falsity in her private agendas. She, and the others who took their lead from her, should look at what they have wrought -- is the world really better than it was? Is it now the world you wanted? Are women as respected, honored and loved as they used to be? Hmm...?
"the originator of so much disharmony,"
By dissing the important work of home making and mothering, what she did is ensure that millions of American children grew up in filthy homes with no home cooked meals. We have a generation or two of women who have lost all sense of what it means to nourish a family.
And for so many women who are dedicated stay at home moms, the need to "find themselves" by going to school to learn how to be even better socialists, perhaps gaining skills in one field or another, skills that are often required in a society that has lost its foundation, and by this I mean doctors, dentists, chefs, nannys, and working in homes for the aged.
C.S. Lewis said the homemaker is the reason for all other professions. And my feeling is that conversely, the better run each individual home, the more thoughtful intent put into mothering, the less the need for the doctor, the dentist, the day care, and the nurse.
When mothers understand and EMBRACE their roll as consumate nurturer, the health of the family goes up in direct relation to her efforts, and the less need for the rest of society to pick up the pieces.
I love reading about the time before the revolutionary war in America. One book I read talked about how the only cash expense the average farmer had, because they were so completely self-sufficient, was to hire a midwife for all the babies being born.
When you think about the exponential explosion is careers that have been started and expanded since Betty started yelling in the 60's, which have been created to "replace" the work that women traditionally did, I wonder if anyone has taken the time to list all of the jobs, and the pro/con list of the trade off of women's work being replaced by careerism.
I KNOW when I prepare my family's food each day, and live intentionally as a mother that I am doing the absolute most important work in the world.
Jenny