Unpaid Housework
- Women usually take care of housework and children at home. The work is demanding, but it is not valued or paid. Thus, it reduces a woman’s chances of achieving financial equality. How will this situation change in Proutian society?
There are four aspects in a Proutian society through which this situation will change.
1) In a pro-society, women will not be inferior because of housekeeping and childcare. These are very important tasks and should be valued as much as work outside the home. Hence, first, there will be a moral change; the demanding task of housework and caring for the family must be given a worthy position.
This is done by improving the social position of the woman. In this way, the work done by women will also be given a more respected status. The intention is not to make women men, but to change values so that women’s thoughts, roles, and interests begin to be valued more and gain more importance.
The world is changing so that different perspectives, cultures and backgrounds will be valued more and more. Increased communication increases integration. As developments move in this direction, the values of the patriarchate will collapse. They depend on regional segregation, wars, and hierarchical systems. The above points lose their relevance as different Groups of People converge and connect. As we move toward one world nation, the need for regional thinking and wars is dissipating. The need for communication and an integrated lifestyle is coming to the surface. This need elevates the position of the woman as the power of the woman lies in communication and strengthening the family. These are things that are becoming increasingly important in society. When this happens, the position of women changes.Peacemakers will be valued more than defenders as well as those who feed and nurture people.
Therefore, the status of women will change on a global scale, and with this, matters related to a woman’s work and life will be given a esteemed status. So this is a moral issue, and the solution is not in the realm of politics, but above all in changing basic attitudes.
2) In a Proutian society, no work is trivial; childcare will be seen as very important. In addition, women’s job opportunities within the home, such as the home industry, should be supported so that women can work from home and take care of their families. It should not be the case that a woman has to go to work outside the home when the children are small and need a mother. This is not in line with an ideal society as it does not meet basic human needs. Women should not be prevented from working, but they should not be separated from their children for economic reasons. Thus, in Proutian society, efforts should be made to enable mothers of young children to work from home.
3) Telework, work done at home, will be part of the activities of the community or cooperative. So women can make products at home instead of going outside the home to work in a factory. A woman would be paid and be a member of that cooperative, even if she did her work at home independently.
If this were a common practice, there would be no wonder. Why should all employees go to a certain place, to work at a certain time? Let there be more freedom in people's lives and let work be adapted to people's lives so that society responds to people's needs and not so that people respond to the needs of working life.
Thus, work done at home (telecommuting and home industry) will become more common. It is also becoming more common for men. There will be small groups living close together and working on specific projects. Either an independent home industry is created or the work of some larger company is done at home as telework. In both cases, the employee is a member of a community where he or she has the right to vote and other rights. Work at home has no lower status than work in industry or business.
Besides, some women may find that they can do nothing but housework, because housework and childcare is enough for them. Men can also find themselves in this position, as there are men who would stay home if they had the opportunity. That is, for some, the desire to work for the family is greater than any other job. These people, too, would have their own community of which they would be members, and they would have status and the right to vote in that community. If they take initiatives, they should be taken into account in the same way and taken forward as the initiatives of other communities.
4) In a Proutian society, the needs of the people are paramount. Society must not be built in such a way that the needs or lust for power of some of the few are exalted above others, but in such a way that the basic needs of all people are met.
Man has a strong need to belong to a family, both a nuclear family and an extended family. People feel the need for protection from family, friends and communities at a young and old age, even in their working years. Therefore, there have been tribes and large families to meet these human needs.
This is not a trivial need, a need for a place with people, with loved ones and loved ones, a need for a common home. This is a species-specific need. Therefore, a viable society must safeguard and meet these needs of the people.
The role of the woman as the caretaker of the home, caring for the children, and strengthening family ties is essential. It will take on a more prestigious status, and with that status, a whole new kind of appreciation for the importance of the family will emerge. Parenting and nursing can become a highly valued task. If a woman contributes to school work, helps children, and performs various tasks in the community, she should enjoy appreciation and be rewarded for her work.
In a society where human needs are given priority and where the planet’s natural resources are used prudently and respectfully for the benefit of all, people’s lifestyles will change. It may not be necessary to work long weeks and workers will not have to leave their community, leave their family and home every day to march like soldiers into their positions. Society may begin to look very different compared to today’s situation.
