Woman's Work

Always one more meal to get;
one more train which must be met;
one more hopeless sock to men;
one more invalid to tend;
one more salve for one more knee,
one more visitor to tea;
one more future bruised and scarred;
one more drop of spikenard;
one more problem, one more doubt;
one more mood to be smoothed out;
one more smile and one more kiss—
Ah, but ministry like this
will outlast the radiant sun.
Woman's work is never done.
  
- Fay Inchfawn -

Housework and raising children are jobs that have no end, but who really wants it to end.  Not me.  My sons will always be my babies no matter how old they are, and I will always feel a sense of accomplishment and comfort when my house is clean.  No one can clean it better than me; at least, that's what  I like to tell myself.  It's just so hard for me to delegate jobs that I feel can only be done right by me.  But, this is my choice, and I am lucky to live in an age where I have a choice. 

The Women's Group I run at work is my favorite group; it is also the most difficult.  These women have been beaten down so low, it is hard to instill a sense of empowerment in them.    Convincing them  that they are in control of their lives and that things that happen to them  only happen because they have allowed it, is a big realization.  When a woman becomes empowered, she gains considerable strength and  courage. 

Historically, women have always been viewed as the weaker sex.   In the Middle Ages, a woman's place in society was determined by her husband, father, or brother's standing, and when she lost her male protector, she often lost her identity as well.  Choices for women were very limited.   The noble woman had it much easier than her peasant counterpart.  Her main concern was coordinating the work of her many servants and overseeing the upkeep of the manor.  Her great value was her dowry, and many marriages were founded on economic gain and not to please the lady.  Very few marriages in the medieval times were made because they loved each other, but they were marriages made for gain.  I have to believe it was a terribly unhappy and unfulfilling life. 

The peasant woman, on the other hand,  worked alongside her husband in the fields and for supplemental income would take up other jobs in shops or in nobles' homes as domestic help.  These women often worked in the fields just as hard as the men, but because she lived in a male dominated society,  she earned significantly less than a male counterpart. She was also personally responsible for the maintenance of her household.  Aside from labor, her other  main role was bearing children, and with poor medical care, women often died in childbirth.  Women of the past led difficult, painful lives, and it is not surprising that they had such a short life to live...from twenty to forty.

As a modern woman, I take pride in  my accomplishments and  am truly grateful for all of my life’s blessings, that I live in an age where women, although not equal to men,  have choices in how they want to live their lives.  I also have a loving family and a supportive husband who has always encouraged me to be the best that I can be. I wear many hats... I am a counselor,  a teacher, a  caretaker,  nurse, writer, daughter,  mother, wife, lover and friend. I take pride in everything I do, and I am blessed to live in an age where, although women's work may  never be done, it is done out of love and not because I am forced to do it.

The most common way people give up their power
is by thinking they don't have any.

~ Alice Walker ~