While reading chapter 5 of Anderson's Modern Misogyny, I was dwelling on the lifestyles of working women verse non-working women. Anderson stated, "A 2012 Gallup poll of American women found that mothers who are employed outside the home are happier than stay-at-home mothers. Gallup surveyed more than 60,000 women and found that employed women  (with and without children) worried less, felt less sadness, stress, anger, and depression than did stay at home mothers". I remember thinking that stay at home moms and women who didn't have to work had it easy. They didn't have the stress of a career, they could go to the gym and cook and have a simple life. They could go to all of their kids sporting events and extra circulars. I had no idea how skewed my vision of a stay at home mother was. Nothing is as it seems and I think perspective is a huge issue when others are judging working or non-working women.

My entire life both of my parents have worked and they are still working as they head into their 60's. They have always shared everything with one another, myself, and my two sisters. My Mom was a special education teacher for 30+ years and post retirement she is working at United Cereal Palsy. Her and my dad had full time jobs while raising three children but they managed doing both flawlessly; it was a joint effort. My mother and father instilled in my sisters and I that we should strive to do what makes us happy first and foremost. Yet, they told and continue to tell us to always make sure that we have enough money of our own to take care of ourselves and any children that we plan to have in the future (if we choose to). I think this is a very important lesson that I have learned. Seeing my mother have such a successful, life-chaning career is driving me to do the same. I too want a family someday but I don't see myself sacrificing my hard work to be a stay at home mom. Only time will tell and life will throw its curve balls and maybe I will be a stay at home mom, I don't know.

I think people tend to look down upon women who don't work; I don't think its right but I too am guilty of doing it sometimes. As I mentioned earlier, we think they have it easy. But I think their life is hard and stressful just like a working woman's, just in different ways. They have the stress and anxiety of constantly having to make everything perfect. People assume they have nothing going on therefore all domestic chores should be done and done perfectly. And if she has children, they should all be dressed perfectly, be clean, well-mannered etc. The pressure sounds unbearable to me. And it isn't just men expecting this from stay at home moms but its other moms as well. It creates yet another avenue where women are tearing each other down. I think the focus leans towards stay at home moms perpetuating male dominance but I don't think that its the case. I believe it is the perspective of men and women. If there was more of a feminist viewpoint of equality there wouldn't be such a stigmatized notion of working or non-working women and working or non-working men!