Dead Domesticity Cont.

One argument people use to dismiss domesticity is that women have the opportunity to do whatever job they want, they just choose less-skilled work. In Chapter One, of Unbending Gender: Why Family and Work Conflicts and What to do about it, author, Joan Williams gives evidence that domesticity in America is still a live and kicking through practiced laws in the workforce. In the EEOC v Sears, Ruebuck Co., Sears was accused of discriminating against women when it came to high-paying commission work. EEOC argued that statistically men dominated the high payed position in Sears. Sears countered EEOC argument by stating women just were not interested in these high paid positions. In the end, the courts agreed with Sears and said EEOC needed to prove that women were actually interested. This case study shows that the judicial system believes women are not taking on high paid positions solely because of their preference rather than an effect of inequality in our country.

People who hold the belief that women are not taking higher-paid positions because of preference rarely look at the whole gender picture. Women responsibility in the home is an tremendous factor that keeps them out of higher paid jobs. Since they spend most, if not all, the time maintain the home and raising the children, two-thirds of the wage gap is based on women duties to the home and family. The very same domesticity that puts the responsibility of the home on women is the thing that is preventing them from excelling in the workforce.

Also, a huge portion of the gender-wage gap is out of the control of the actual women who "have the choice". The perception of an ideal-worker being a man prevents women of the opportunities for promotions or being hired, for that matter. In addition to the ideal worker belief, men are the people choosing who is being accepted in the workforce. Since men are suppose to be the breadwinner, they are more prone to give another man the positions over woman.
These two factors of home responsibilities and discrimination practices are what comprise our domesticity in America. We need to recognize the problem of gender and help solve it. One solution is to start putting responsibility of raising a family back on the men and women. If the norm that men were outside the home and women was in or around home was eliminated. We could actually balance out much of the duties that prohibits women from choosing to higher paid jobs by having the father more active in their children rearing and upbringing. What do you think?