American Literature

Woman as breadwinners is an issue that demands justification amidst the various notions on the female gender that include their role in the family, whether their domain should be the home or they should also work to earn money. Historically however, it has been found out that women had been so productive and had played a great contribution to the progress of her family in particular as they do extremely hard work both in their house and in the farm. Nevertheless, their contributions were often unnoticed or are less valued in terms of wages as compared to men, because of a serious restriction, which operates against the recognition of the womens contribution in societies, which are bound by ancient traditions and beliefs.
While the purpose for assigning women in the home was to make her family ideal, the economic downturns during the past decades necessitated the family for income augmentation forcing women to find work in order to meet the pressing economic demand of the family. Thus, the question on women as breadwinners arises.
The question however about the working women should rather be seen in the context of rights and needs rather than in the context of consequences. Carnoy (2002) stated that many of the working women finds fulfillment in their jobs than in keeping the home. Citing the statements of some working women working on the computer assembly lines, Carnoy puts it At least here, we have a social life said one. I have friends, conversation, other adults another commented (p. 105). Apparently this scenario reflects that beyond the economic need of the family, the social aspects of womens life were grossly neglected.  However, the scenario at the computer assembly lines which Carnoy pointed out depicts an even bigger economic picture. Women working in a traditionally male territory, women earning money, skilled women were some of the ideas that could be drawn from the scenario. Carnoy argued that since the 1920s the smaller family gradually led married women to returning to the workforce. Canoy cited that the development of modern technology such as refrigerators, stoves, washing machines, and home tools that revolutionize homework made it interesting for men to come home and do things around the house.
Given this economic trend, there is no doubt that women can greatly contribute to the economic needs of the family. Indeed in many countries around the world, there are many women who are the sole breadwinner in the family
The concept of women breadwinners though, was not new at all. In fact if one would care to check on women contribution to the welfare of the family in particular and the society in general, one can find that women had greatly contributed to the economic needs of the family in general in terms of dollars and foods, to the household activities.
Roland Robertson and Kathleen E. White calls todays society as the new society which requires the transformation of womens condition. According to them, at the root of this transformation, which has taken place at accelerated pace since the 1960s, are two interrelated phenomena the massive entry of women into the labor market in most advanced economies and the social movements based on the defense of identity that nurtured the development of the womens movement and of feminism in general (76)
Evidently, the transformation of women from a domestic person whose abode is the home, she is now part of the economic workforce which greatly contributes to the need of the family. With their great contribution on the family welfare in terms of dollars and foods, there is nothing more to prove on the capability as breadwinner.
The question that should be asked then is what is the real issue on women as bread winners This is a very important question because despite of the women contribution on the society in general women were seen as inferior. One factor is the fact that during the past centuries, men have dominated society in its entire realm relegating women to the subordinate task of rearing the children and providing the need of the husband, particularly during the colonial times. Women were confined in her home having no educational or economic opportunity in the society other than to marry at a young age, and to take care of her family. Her life revolved only around the context of the family leaving her no place in the society as her full time job was home making, such as cooking meals, make clothing, attending to sick family member, aside from taking care of their animals, making household goods to use or sell and a lot more difficult jobs.
In reality, it was not because women were perceived to be weaker or intellectually inferior, or that men outsmart women that they were confined in the home and their efforts marginalized, but because of the popular mens notion of machismo. Men tend to dominate women simply because they want to protect their ego being men and often they expressed it terms of abuses and violence on women. Women are discriminated against by labels, that is, a gender issue which restrict them to a reproductive role, and reject access to resources, which could enhance their social and economic contribution to the society.
Nevertheless, over the years, this gender based discrimination has been gradually blotted out and women are now beginning to assert their contribution in the household needs. According to an internet article entitled Nearly Half of the U.S. Workforce Are Women recent study indicates that close to fifty percent of U.S. workforce is comprised by women and they are the primary breadwinners or co-bread winners in nearly two-thirds of American families (City TownInfo.com Staff). Citing the Shiver Report entitled A womans Nation Changes Everything the article cited 65.3 percent of women and 61.2 percent of men strongly agreed they are comfortable with women earning more than in a household (City TownInfostaff).
The article pointed out that while the changing role of women were a direct consequence of the economic downturn at the expense of nearly seventy-five percent of about seven million workforce who have lost their jobs in the recession, it also augmented the familys economic needs. Therefore, woman as breadwinners not only depicting the entry of women in to the work place, it also herald a new era for women in the new society. Women who were transformed from a domestic or home body, to more productive and socially active individuals whose contribution great transformed the economic and financial needs of the household activity.
Since this transformation on the condition of women was largely caused by the economic downturns, it cannot be denied that there are some consequences that had to be addressed. Philip Cowan stressed that woman as bread winner have an impact on children. Cowan recognized that there is a need of the family that must be met. Thus Cowan stresses that when the economic condition of the family necessitates mothers to be a bread winner its impact on the family should be discussed as it will depend on what their husbands will do inside. This however is very much possible because aside from the fact that more and more men agrees that women should also work, the home technologies which made house hold chores easier and exciting, encourages husbands to come early and do what women used to do in the past.
 In connection to the above, there is overwhelming evidence that it was the gender issue that had prevented women from becoming bread winner in their own way rather the socio-cultural notion on the role of women in the family as the impact of the absence of the mother can be resolved by quality discussion about the roles of the husband and wife. It is high time that the society acknowledges women as breadwinners in view of the economic realities currently confronting the society. Women should not be deprived of their right to be employed nor be subjected at once to the gender discriminations that had long oppressed them through unequal wages, limited employment opportunities, or disproportionate opportunity for promotion and improvement. It is now high time that women contribution to the society in the twentieth century particularly in the third world countries that could be seen in the production and processing of agricultural products.
Indeed, the role that women played and the contribution they made in the development of the society in the twentieth century proved that women potentiality is equal with men in many aspects. Today, women have gone far from being less educated, homemaker, and being confined to her domestic chores. Women today are more intelligent, more skilled, highly educated more committed in the work, resourceful, strong, and reliable and intelligent all boils down to a description that todays women is fit to contribute further in the fast technologically transforming global economy. Womans participation and contribution can no longer be ignored, as she can be an F16 pilot, a head of state, a lawyer, or anything she wished to be. Any discrimination on the womens rights or to what can women do is practically impractical and denying her the opportunity to contribute in her own way toward the development of the society. Women today are no longer what has been perceived of her as seductress or vulnerable who are in need of protection, although as a sort of being man, men care and protect women. What is meant here is that women can now exist in this world even without the protection and provision of men. Gender issue then should no longer be used as an excuse for men to once again establish their dominance on women. Women should be acknowledge as part of the economic workforce and their entry into that traditionally male dominated economic area should be seen as an emerging economic trend.
Jessica Hanan pointed out in her book that today women entry into the workforce has become the most social trend of the last fifty years and that more and more American men are agreeing on the entry of women into the workforce (25). Hanan cited the 1997 issue of National Forum magazine which states that over 80 percent of Americans agree that two incomes are needed to financially support the family (25). The main issue therefore that should be considered regarding women as breadwinner is the economic significance of their contribution on the household. It cannot be ignore anymore the impact of the current economic downturn on every family and the family economic situation is calling women to become co-breadwinners.
The gender based male dominance on women therefore which are often expressed through spousal abuse and domestic violence should be seen as an obstacle not only to womens progress but more importantly, to the familys economic welfare and development. Thus, the society particularly the business community should leave enough room for women employment and for their social, emotional, and intellectual development.