The invisible labor of women is being talked about more and more frequently and loudly. And less often about mothers who stayed home with children being described as not working. Unfortunately, our society still holds the belief that in such situations, women are supported by their husbands or partners because they don't earn money. And although their efforts are supposedly increasingly appreciated, some still don't know how to treat the fact that no tangible cash comes into the house because of their work. There was even a recent suggestion to stop calling maternity leave by that name, because the break from professional work for a woman who has become a mother has nothing to do with the rest associated with a holiday. Quite the opposite.
Ilona Kostecka, a blogger and author of children's books, recently published a recording on her Instagram account, in which she calculates how much women's work really costs. - After all, it costs nothing - she says mockingly.
Invisible Work of Women: About 7,000 PLN Monthly
Do men support women? This is often heard when the wife takes care of the house and children, while only he works professionally. To check if this is true, we need to calculate how much a man would have to pay external people for the work she does," says the author of the recording and lists the minimum net rates: nanny - 3200 PLN, cooking - 1500 PLN; cleaning - 1800 PLN; laundry - 240 PLN; shopping - 200 PLN plus organizing family events, etc. "Total: about 7,000 PLN per month
- sums up Ilona Kostecka.
"If a man does not transfer such a salary to his wife's account, it means that he saves exactly that amount thanks to her work at home," she adds, ending her recording with the comment: "It's not men who support women who take care of the home, but women who take care of the home who enable men to work without obstacles".
Invisible Work of Women. "These Calculations Bring Us Back to Earth"
The published recording received many comments from internet users, especially women, who reacted enthusiastically to what they saw. They wrote: "These calculations bring us back to earth, and they are rather understated"; "Also, a secretary/assistant for phone calls, buying birthday presents, writing to offices, making doctor's appointments, etc."; "Thanks to me, he can work, and I miss working and being able to rest. The sad truth about women taking care of the home and children is that there is societal permission to deny us the right to be tired or to have time for ourselves, a permission that men frequently take advantage of".
Everything is Beautiful, but There is One 'But'
Ilona Kostecka's simple calculation makes us realize how valuable the invisible work of a woman who 'stays home with a child' really is. The author of the recording states that thanks to her work, a man can save an average of 7,000 PLN per month. Maybe, if we assume that the child's mother does not exist and he alone bears the responsibility of raising and supporting the child along with the home. Because if the mother is present in the father's and child's life, these responsibilities are shared by both parents, so in a simplified manner: they save 3,500 PLN each per month.
