Every woman has watched or at least heard of the latest craze in TV, Housewives of XYZ city. I used to watch the Atlanta show back when I had cable and every now and again I will catch the show in Orange County while at the gym. Those women are rolling in dough right?! G Wiz must be nice. Since becoming engaged I started thinking about family planning and have adamantly stated to my fiance' that I want to be a housewife when I start having children to be HAPPY. This is mainly due to two reasons 1. My mother stayed home with us for many years which I greatly appreciated and 2. Just because ☺ I don't want to put my child in the arms of another caretaker just so I can go sit in front of my work computer and pretend to work lol
The real question of the hour is what does it take to really be a housewife these days? We are still in a recession/depression although many of us are employed we are not gainfully employed but more like underemployed and for those without jobs unemployed. The Oprah Show recently focused on the topic of happiness - what is happiness? How many people consider themselves happy? Do children make you happier? Which jobs bring the most fulfillment? And, the most important for me ... how much money does it take to be happy? In particular, how much money does it take to sustain happiness for a family on 1 income? Personally I think I have many talents that can generate revenue streams not leaving my husband to worry about if he makes enough but what about those women who just want to stay home and care for the kids without contributing financially?
According to the Office of Minority Health, in 2007, "the average African-American family median income was $33,916 in comparison to $54,920 for non-Hispanic White families." Comparatively, that means that there is a tremendous racial income gap. But relatedly, there's also an incredible poverty gap as well between Blacks and whites. According to the Census, in 2007, almost a quarter of African-Americans (who make up approximately 14 percent of the U.S. population) were impoverished, compared to slightly more than eight percent of non-Hispanic whites.
First let's look at how much a housewife is worth. Many women choose this avenue because they don't want to PAY for someone to babysit, feed, nurture, chauffeur them to after school programs, do homework and give them their snacks. More than a decade ago, a report by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that to employ all the cooks, cleaners, chauffeurs and nannies needed to meet a housewife's annual contribution to the home would cost $120,900 (£62,590). A fair figure would also take into account a woman's loss of earnings from the career she abandoned to be a stay at home mom.
In America we live, breathe and yearn for the bigger and better. Going out with the girls, gotta get a new dress. Paid off your car note, start looking for another. 'Out grew' your 1st home, want more beds and baths that you won't ever use or fill up. People with walk in closets feel obligated to fill the spaces, racks and shelves because they believe this will validate them as successful. I believe that in the grand scheme of things you don't have to make 6 figures to afford to have a housewife, you do however have to sacrifice by cutting corners, coupons and shopping on sale. How important is being a housewife to you? If very then you can learn to make adjustments so you don't have to continue going to your JOB (Just over Broke) as opposed to spending time teaching your children the values you want to instill.
So in conclusion, the idea of husbands as sole breadwinners, in these times, is becoming a deceptively attractive one, standing on the legs of ego rather than reality, in some instances. The "happiness expert" on the Oprah program – author Dan Buettner – said that working mothers' happiness index is the lowest of all parents, because they assume the equivalent of two or more jobs, when their responsibilities inside the home and outside the home are taken into consideration. Do you want that to be you?
One thing that I will be implementing after the wedding is 'practicing being a 1 income family'. If you both make a decent salary and can afford to live off your means now try putting up one person's check in the bank and living off the others to see how well you can manage. This will create a huge savings for your future and also help you implement good savings tactics as well as prepare you for the road to motherhood.
Just some food for thought
