Just 30 years ago, it was extremely rare that men stayed at home and looked after the family while
women worked full-time outside, but now this has become rather common. My personal view is that
this development is positive and there are basically two reasons why it happens.
Men refused to stay at home and do the housework, as far as I understand, not because they did not
want to, but because they were not allowed to do so in the past. The traditional gender role
assigned to the husband was to work outside and earn bread for the family. A man who failed to
undertake this responsibility would turn himself into a laughing stock among his friends. After
years of feminist movement, however, this idea has been essentially overturned. Today, it is
perfectly acceptable and natural that the husband, rather than the wife, stays at home and takes
care of the kids.
Another reason has much to do with the transformed structure of thejob market in recent decades.
On the one hand, new technologies have made many positions previously held by men unavailable any
more. For instance, much work in a construction site is now done by machines,rendering many
construction workers jobless. On the other hand, more and more positions usually held by women
have been created, owing tothe rapid growth of the service industry. It is then not surprising
at all to see the growing number of women working full time while their husbands are left
behind at home.
I think of this development as being positive, because it represents one step forward towards
social equality and freedom. Now the househusbands no longer have to feel ashamed of themselves
and the working wives have more opportunities to realize their personalambitions.