Do you agree with this quote and why?

Question

"The men who still have the largest share of the power in society don't do any domestic work. The very people who are making our most important decisions should know how to cook, know how to grow a garden, diaper a baby, and raise young people. They should not only know these things but practice them."
Susan Griffin

Answer 1

I agree with this quote in some levels. I think that what Susan Griffin is trying to say or what I interpreted is that men who make the decisions (ie: politicians) should know about the above activities. The idea is that many politicians are wealthy and therefore have the luxury not to know how to do certain household activities.

However, the vast majority of Americans cannot afford to have someone cook or clean or raise their children for them. Maybe if those in power did have to be responsible for raising their own children, cooking , gardening, etc.. they might be more understanding regarding the policy decisions to cut programs that are needed. The sense is that these men (generalization) know that the decisions they make won't affect their families so why should they care?

On a personal level I think that men and women should share in the household activities. It should not be gender specific. If I am not able to change a diaper then my husband should pick up the slack. Similarly, if he can't mow the lawn and I have the time why shouldn't I do it? When you are in a relationship you are supposed to be partners and partners should help one another.

Answer 2

I don't agree with that sexist statement one bit.

There's no way you can expect a hardworking, breadwinning man out in the corporate world to also devote as much emphasis on house duties.

Secondly, we must point out that Ms. Griffin's statement is incredibly biased, in the sense that not only does it assume that that these particular men have no knowledge at all of any of the crafts she mentioned. She also failed to make an opposite comparison of the many women who do not know how to do "handywork" around the house -- she says nothing about the fact that many women don't know how to change the oil in their car, change a flat tire, change a washer in a faucet, change a spark plug, or do any "handywork" around the house such as unclogging a toilet, repairing shingles on the roof, or changing the fuse in an electrical box. How about Susan Griffin make a more balanced argument, other than spew one-sided, female egocentrism?

She also never said anything about many powerful corporate women who don't do housework because they have maids and nannies.

I'm a man that owns a large house in his early twenties. To be specific, I inherited it so I won't take full credit for getting the house -- the point is that I have a large front yard and back yard, and I do all of my gardening. The reason is because I find the experience to be liberating, fun, relieves stress, and is overall spiritually envigorating. Gardening, planting flowers, trimming shrubs, mowing the lawn, and all of that is like doing a work of art for your home.

I changed my little cousin's diapers and babysat for them when I was a teenager -- the fact that this person assumes that these men can't raise young people and be fathers, I find to be offensive and misandristic in nature.

Which is the main gender that mows lawns by the way? Which is the main gender that are professional gardeners? I'll give you a hint -- it isn't women. I can also point out the fact that the majority of proffessional chefs and the top chefs in the world are, for the most part, men. So that woman's statement about men in "power" in the proffessional spectrum not being involved in those tasks is factually incorrect.


P.S.: I'm going to take a wild guess and say Deirdre will give "Best Answer" to the person that states they agree with the quote, and is also a woman.

Answer 3

I don't necessarily believe that 'domestic work' does not make anyone smarter or more capable....just as doing construction work or anything 'typically' male will make a woman a better rounded person.

In my dreams, I see a society in which people recognize their strengths and focus on them...rather than trying to be all things to all people, or focussing their attentions on a specific task to prove a point.

If a man can cook, garden and care for children, it will make him a well rounded individual. Just as women who know how to use power tools and build things will be a more capable and well rounded individual. But I don't believe it to be necessary - for either gender.

There are some wildly successful and powerful women in the world who have no clue how to cook, clean, diaper or garden....and it does not make them any less powerful.

Answer 4

I think that it is always true that those 'in power' or 'with privilege' are always the ones deciding how to distribute power and privilege, usually to lessen their own work load.

I agree that all people are potentially equally capable, but only potentially. In practice, no one can be 'anything they want if they try,' simply because you must lose in some area to gain in another. Each person has a finite amount of life and potential, and it is up to each individual to determine where and how that potential is best spent. Hopefully, they can get some help and guidance in this, but it is ultimately up to each individual.

For example, I wish our president had spent more time on social science than business administration. Strike that, I forget that he sucks at that too. Okay, bad example, but you get my point. I don't care if Angela Merkel can change a diaper or not, she is one heck of a stateswoman, and that is what is important to her, and German citizens.

Answer 5

I don't agree.

There are plenty of men in the world who don't do any domestic work, but in general these are also the men who don't have any power in society.

Why should the very people who are making our most important decisions need to know the mundane daily routines of child care and gardening? Why compare a tiny minority of the population with the vast majority, either male or female?

Perhaps it would be more helpful to Miss mid-America if there was a better understanding that for the majority of the worlds population, putting food on the table, a shelter over the families head, and providing for a child's education rank at least equally important to domestic skills and these responsibilities are shared between male and female alike.

Answer 6

i disagree for the most part. all of these things are rather arbitrarily gendered skills, with the exception of raising children. I am a woman and i do not know how to cook or grow a garden, and frankly, who cares?

but i do agree with the points about raising children. and i think this applies to people who aren't powerful. i think there is no excuse for not knowing how to take care of your children.

Answer 7

I completely disagree.

The only way to achieve any measure of power in any society is to focus one's attention on that which one excels and is in furtherance of achieving that power, and delegate that which does not contribute to that end. Look around at ANYONE who has any measurable level of success and power, and you'll see this common trait. In fact, I'm not even writing this - I've outsourced this and other responses to a Internet-surfing service based in Bangalore. I do ask my own questions, however :)

As an example, if I bill $120/hr for my services, why would I want to clean my own house, when I can hire a housekeeper for $20/hr and still net $100 every hour we're both working?

Even successful professional women who hire housekeepers know this. So do I.

The arrogance of some unknown feminist author to dictate how successful people should allocate their time is off the charts. What would this Griffin woman expect Warren Buffett to do - take a couple cooking classes and burp a baby to satisfy her resentment of a man who chose his path, and chose it wisely?

Answer 8

Thats total asinine. Handling a 9-6 job AND housework is already hard enough as every working mom/dad will tell you. Stress, virtually no time off etc. Beeing a ceo or I dont know, the president of the country (the American one and any of his colleagues who take extensive time off dont count) is by itself an extremly time consuming job (well it should be), which just does not leave any time for domestic work, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. The day has only 24 hours for everyone. If you want a hubby who shares the chores with you a doctor is probably a poor pic. If you want an high income husband you will have to live with the fact that the chores will be your responsibility.

Answer 9

I can't agree since I don't know how to do most of those things very well either. I was forced to take care of my younger siblings, but I doubt I was very good at it. Instead, what I think would be helpful is if we were taught how to perform the basic tasks needed in life, and taught how to do these tasks well, so we were aware of what the majority of people around us do and so we can fend for ourselves, and hopefully we learn to value the work of others. Since I teach, I've met many people who know how to perform a task, but how many know how to do it well? Can you imagine the difference in society if even a few of us knew how to raise young people well instead of doing what our parents did?

Answer 10

It's a pretty generic statement. I do believe that performing everyday "domestic" duties broadens the understanding and scope of everyday life.
This quote is fairly gender specific