Masculinity and the Feminism of Simplicity, Part Two

Masculinity and masculine roles – and by extension, feminine roles – are interwined with earning a salary or wage. A man is a man if he earns enough to take of his family. A man isn’t a man if he becomes a house-husband. A woman works but her worth is less because she earns less for the same job. A woman of the elite classes can leave work to care for children, unpaid work that is devalued because she isn’t earning a wage. As I said yesterday, the women described in the opt-out generation want back in  value more than their children their own lifestyle. Discussions of being able to accomplish all the housework, child-rearing expectations and volunteer or work part-time by hiring a…