I would first like to argue the idea that becoming a homemaker is mind-numbing and of low-intellect. In doing so I will be quoting an article we read by Dennis Prager who believes that homemakers can easily be intellectually stimulating, possibly even more than those with paid jobs. He says that homemaking, "in the eyes of the dominant intellectual culture, [is] equivalent to advocating suppression of women [and that they]... because of patriarchy and other nefarious forces, have abandoned their minds to the lowest intellectual activity the human being can engage in." I personally think this is absurd as does Prager. I think that this ideal is what is offensive to the female sex rather than the homemaking itself. To say this suggests that a homemaker does nothing other than mindlessly do laundry and raise children (sometimes also husbands). But any homemaker out there can say that this isn't true.
Prager acknowledges that these activities aren't very intellectually stimulating, but he says this: "Any intellectually alive woman who is a full-time mother must therefore find intellectual stimulation elsewhere." This is more than possible for a homemaker and often times, the learning done this way can be more valuable than the intellectual stimulation people find in occupations. Full-time mothers everywhere can find this stimulation through talk radio, educational t.v. Prager, who is a host of a talk radio show says "The woman who listens to us regularly will know more about economics, politics, current events, world affairs, American history, and religion than a great majority of [people] who work full-time outside of the house." He goes on to say "there are also a myriad of opportunities to study outside the house - such as community college classes, book clubs, etc - and for volunteer work in intellectually more stimulating areas than most paid work." I mean think about it, lets say as a woman, you get a job as a secretary, or a nurse or an engineer. Sure, you become educated in your field, get a college degree that is limited to that field, talk to colleagues at lunch. But does it ever get more intellectually stimulating than that? When your job only calls for you to now how to do that job? A homemaker has the opportunity to continue to learn in any and every area she pleases and it can all be done while doing other things and with the help of family members. It's not about being equal to men and providing for your family.
Secondly, is the argument that an elite education is wasted on a homemaker.The article "A Woman's Education is not Wasted in the Home" does a great job of proving that it is not. Anne Maginnis asks "If a woman at home doesn't need an elite degree…does she need a college degree? A high school degree? At what point is a woman not worth educating at all?” An education teaches us values and practices, gives us character that we can then use in teaching our children. Getting an elite education allows us to provide our children with the best we can give. Erikson reinforces this by saying "A mother’s implementation of ordinary, daily practices of health and safety make her the central influence in preserving and nurturing life. A mother’s use of language in ordinary interactions expressing, explaining, and questioning make her the most significant influence in a child’s cognitive development. And a mother’s sensitivity and responsiveness to emotion make her the foundation of a child’s social-emotional strength. That is why her education matters so much." I am just a teenager, but I know that without my college education, even this far, I would have no political opinion whatsoever, no expanded knowledge of natural science, I wouldn't even have the same repertoire of hymns to share with my children. I owe my development as a person largely to BYU-I and I know that everything that I learn in my life contributes to who I am and therefore will influence my children because I will be influencing them. I want to be able to teach my children intelligent things, I want them to develop as best that they can and I know that college degree can only help me with that. Also, as a woman who may be a full-time homemaker for part of my life, I reserve the right to have that education for myself as well. Even if it doesn't contribute to my family, it contributes to me and that's what all of these strongly opinionated women are concerned about right?
Personally, I want to have an occupation outside of the home, I will likely need to so that my spouse and I can sustain our home and family. But I know that homemaking is a very valuable position and that education is a major contributor to it. It is not wasted and homemaking doesn't have to be mind-numbing.
If you wish to read the articles that have provided this information, here are the links:
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