Dad’s Shower Door Pics Goes Viral Along With Recognition Of His Stay-At-Home Wife’s Work
“There’s no tougher job than being a mom,” goes the old saying. A survey by Pew appears to confirm this, with parents finding that caring for their children is much more exhausting than the work they do for pay.
Women’s work dominates the ‘invisible’ economy – they account for almost three-quarters of all unpaid work. Women conduct 76% of childcare, 67% of domestic work, 69% of care of adults and 57% of volunteering, and at the same time are increasingly becoming the breadwinners of their families, too.
Gender stereotypes regarding women being mostly responsible for ‘caring’ work are prevalent, and this extra mental and physical burden is undervalued in both an economic and emotional sense. Why should a woman be expected to come home and do a ‘second shift’ when they get home from work?
The first step in solving any problem is to recognize it. Many men are simply unaware and unappreciative of the inherent unfairness of the current state of things, so when a guy takes the time to acknowledge the sacrifices his wife makes for the family, it is important and welcome.
This lovely couple have a video blog called Six Shots with Zack and Heather, which you can check out on their Facebook Page here. Zack has been widely praised for his honest and heartfelt recognition of the true value of Heather’s 24/7 care for their newborn baby, something that men often dismiss as ‘just playing with the kid all day.’
Image credits: Six Shots with Zack and Heather
The post started an interesting discussion about the realities of being a stay-at-home parent, as well as the importance of recognizing and properly valuing the hours and hours of extra work that women put in each week. Just because no money is involved, it doesn’t make it any less worthy!
What do you think? Why do you believe that women do so much of the unpaid work in our society? What can be done to achieve a fairer balance, or at least more recognition and appreciation for this fact? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Here’s what people had to say about the heartwarming post
I've recently come across a lot of the classic "boomer jokes" that have this one premise that marriage is a torture and you constantly suffer (which I just don't understand - as long as you're fortunate to live in a society that lets you choose your SO - why wouldn't you choose someone you like?). This is a great antidote to that. Not everyone would notice the glass and realize what it truly meant but he did.
I think a lot of people chose a S.O. based on face value things. If that's all people care about, then that's what they'll receive. It usually takes a little more maturity to appreciate the little things or place value on them.
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I like the comment about income for mothers. I, as a gay man, strongly support an income stream for birth-mothers, because producing the next generation is a specialized SKILL… one that men haven't been able to acquire. Primary child care providers (male or female) should also be taken care of.
I may be the odd one out. But I believe single moms deserve more praise. They do the job of both without complaining like stay at home moms that they do so much.
I had the opportunity to take care of my 2 granddaughters for 2+years while their mom and dad did, well, whatever they wanted, and let me tell you... It's a 24/7/365 type of job!
man at least someone finally appreciates this and doesn't use the excuse of; "she home all day!!" YEAH WORKING!!!! if that's the case to some of you people, that's no better than slavery :/ please just learn to appreciate people.. even if you can't see why
Dear Panda, If you don't have anything to say, it's perfectly acceptable to not say anything at all. #notboredenough
How wonderful that he notices. Too bad he still doesn't work less, or helps out around the house, to give his wife some 'time off'.
Probably for the baby's safety. At least that would be my guess.
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Yeah, that's what happens - you decide to have a baby then you raise him/her. Why do this people want recognition for things people have been doing for eons?
While I understand your sentiment, the person who stays at home isn't classically recognized as "working" so this post is a sweet tribute and should be able to stand alone. I do agree with you, but I don't think the post is meant to be binary, just a note of gratitude.
Load More Replies... I've recently come across a lot of the classic "boomer jokes" that have this one premise that marriage is a torture and you constantly suffer (which I just don't understand - as long as you're fortunate to live in a society that lets you choose your SO - why wouldn't you choose someone you like?). This is a great antidote to that. Not everyone would notice the glass and realize what it truly meant but he did.
I think a lot of people chose a S.O. based on face value things. If that's all people care about, then that's what they'll receive. It usually takes a little more maturity to appreciate the little things or place value on them.
Load More Replies... I like the comment about income for mothers. I, as a gay man, strongly support an income stream for birth-mothers, because producing the next generation is a specialized SKILL… one that men haven't been able to acquire. Primary child care providers (male or female) should also be taken care of.
I may be the odd one out. But I believe single moms deserve more praise. They do the job of both without complaining like stay at home moms that they do so much.
I had the opportunity to take care of my 2 granddaughters for 2+years while their mom and dad did, well, whatever they wanted, and let me tell you... It's a 24/7/365 type of job!
man at least someone finally appreciates this and doesn't use the excuse of; "she home all day!!" YEAH WORKING!!!! if that's the case to some of you people, that's no better than slavery :/ please just learn to appreciate people.. even if you can't see why
Dear Panda, If you don't have anything to say, it's perfectly acceptable to not say anything at all. #notboredenough
How wonderful that he notices. Too bad he still doesn't work less, or helps out around the house, to give his wife some 'time off'.
Probably for the baby's safety. At least that would be my guess.
Load More Replies... Yeah, that's what happens - you decide to have a baby then you raise him/her. Why do this people want recognition for things people have been doing for eons?
While I understand your sentiment, the person who stays at home isn't classically recognized as "working" so this post is a sweet tribute and should be able to stand alone. I do agree with you, but I don't think the post is meant to be binary, just a note of gratitude.
Load More Replies... 
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