Every office-going couple experiences a situation where they must choose between having a child and pursuing their work at some point in their lifetime. The majority of the time, this question only affects women; this significant change at home has had little impact on men’s employment. The majority of the time, this question only affects women; the homemaker, this significant change at home has little impact on men’s employment.
Some women are “fortunate,” and they are able to receive financial support for their children from their parents, babysitters, etc. But the majority of them make a difficult decision that permanently changes their professional careers. Some people choose to end their employment or look for a different line of work that gives them some flexibility for domestic duties. Some people who don’t want to quit take a leave of absence to care for their children, but when that leave lasts for a year or more, they struggle mightily to get back to work and eventually give up in frustration. Men are certainly not considered to be good homemakers most of the time.
It’s odd that most of us don’t even consider the second possibility, which is that a man can also take a work break for a few years and be a homemaker as well. Although it was never a possibility, taking this path has a number of benefits.
Dividing up all the tasks
Due to years of social conditioning, women have a tendency to feel responsible for the welfare of their families. As a result, when a working woman comes home from the office, she nonetheless finds herself engaged in cooking or other household tasks. Men, on the other hand, usually choose to collapse on the couch in front of the TV after a long day at work and act like they are exhausted.
Therefore, if the man is a homemaker, this is actually a positive thing since when everyone contributes equally, the homemaker’s (in this case, the husband’s) spirits remain high and he gets an equal amount of me time.
Better ties with children
A mother has a deep relationship with her unborn child even before giving birth, since she carries the child for nine months and brings them into the world. Thanks to biology, no one else can have a relationship this close.
Men view the first few years of a child’s life as the sole window of opportunity to develop an unbreakable link with them that they wouldn’t want to let go of. Dads who stay at home can benefit from employers’ gender bias.
Men are less worried about looking unprofessional after taking time off to care for children.
Women need to get past the idea that their responsibilities at home keep them from taking on hard tasks or going above and beyond what is expected of them. This is a mental barrier that both women and their employers have.
Improved collaboration
This unconventional arrangement will teach both men and women to be more autonomous in their lives because it is not the norm. Men will learn to take care of all home tasks as a homemaker, and women will get the self-assurance to earn the daily living expenses for the family on their own. This will also ensure that they raise autonomous, self-assured kids.
Such fathers become sensitive to the needs of others
Guys tend to be more workaholics than women since they often don’t have to worry as much about what’s going on in their households. When these men rise to the position of boss, they also have the same unreasonable expectations of their subordinates. This fosters a negative culture of working excessive hours at the office. Contrarily, men who help with child care and are homemakers are more supportive of coworkers who manage work and home obligations and encourage everyone to strive for a healthy work-life balance.
It’s a win-win scenario
Men do not tend to make sacrifices. Women often prioritise taking care of the home and children before anything else. Although this selflessness benefits family members, it frequently has a negative impact on women, who still struggle to put themselves first.
Men don’t have this issue; even if they are homemakers, it won’t be their sole focus. No matter what they like to do—play sports, read, watch movies, listen to music, or work out—they will find time for it. This is crucial because if you’re not happy, how can you expect others to be?
Who will work and who will take a break should be decided after careful discussion between the wife and husband, rather than based solely on wealth or gender. A decision can only be taken after balancing the advantages and disadvantages.
Additionally, both men and women should have the choice to take a parental or child care leave, and the government should be impartial when establishing regulations about these absences.