Coping with an
Columns
unemployed husband
A
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Page 86
s I made my way home in
the public mode of transport
recently, I overheard an irate
woman complaining to her
mother about her unemployed husband.
“I wake up every morning to go for
work leaving him asleep, but I come home
to find him seated watching football
repeats. He doesn’t do anything, not even
making the bed,” complained the woman.
All I could hear was that this woman’s
husband doesn’t want to assist with any
household chores, but he expects his wife
to fulfil her gender roles. In defence, the
woman argued that she comes home tired,
and getting a house maid will be against
basic home economics as the salary is too
little.
After she hung up, I asked her if it
were the mounting chores or simply the
fact that her husband was unemployed.
“I am a full time worker and a mother of
three. My husband has been unemployed
for several months now and, surely what
would one expect of him,
especially given that
he is at home all
day? All I want
for is him to
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engage in some chores such as cooking
and washing the dishes.
“Can you imagine all that I do? I get
up at 05:30hrs and get two kids ready for
school, get myself ready for work while
he is still in bed and then when I come
home from work at 17:00hrs, I have to
help the kids with homework and then
cook supper! My question is, why he can’t
help instead of just getting drunk and
watching television?,” she asked.
I wished I had never asked.
It is unfortunate that I couldn’t hear
what this woman’s mother said in counsel,
otherwise I would have loved to share it
as it would assist other women who find
themselves in the same ‘predicament’.
I feel this is a predicament to most
women, since taking
care of your
man is one
thing that
m o s t
women
April 2013