An Ode To The Most Underrated Job In The World

~ The Soulful Nib
Hello readers!
If I ask you to name one job which has the following work profile, what would your answer be?
  1. There is no concept of “work timings” and you’ll have to work 24*7*365
  2. There is no remuneration for whatever work you do
  3. You will have to be good at money management, human resources, inventory management, housekeeping and much more.
  4. There will be no vacation. At all.
Any guesses? No, I’m not making up this work profile. In fact, there are millions of people who do this kind of work. Stunned? The answer is: HOMEMAKERS.
I’m not going to use the terrible title we use for homemakers, i.e., housewives. Simply because homemakers aren’t just women, there are men too, who are full-time homemakers, even though a smaller number when compared to women. There are instances where both the husband and wife are earning and supporting their family, while at the same time they jointly contribute towards the managing the household chores and family. That is what gender equality is all about. Managing the household despite having a career too, isn’t an easy task.
Factually, all homemakers are economists, in my view. I have an explanation for it. If you have ever studied economics at any point of time, you must surely be knowing how the word “economics” was derived. From the Greek word “oikonomia” which means “household management.” And that’s what homemakers do! They manage the household 😃

When we go hunting for a job, what do we highlight in our résumé? Obviously about our skills. If you are looking for a job in the financial field, you’ll of course throw light on your skills in Excel, book-keeping, Tally etc. But will you be equally skilful in other fields? Definitely a rarity.
But what about homemakers?
To explain my point, let me, for this purpose, take our mothers as homemakers.
Have you noticed the way in which she manages the monthly budget of the whole family? Also, maintaining the home supplies, from pulses, to vegetables, to toiletries. Everything is supervised by her. That also includes how she manages the house-help. And this isn’t just for a month or an year. It is a lifelong job, unlike the normal jobs, which we can quit any given day.
Plus, a homemaker does not get a single day’s leave. Contrary to office jobs, where we get holidays for festivals, homemakers have to work extra hard on these days.
Despite all this, we still feel that homemaking is a petty job. The prospect of being at home for the whole day excites, but ask an homemaker, and he/she will tell you that they barely get a moment of rest. The mentality has grown stronger over the years. I often hear people react casually when someone says that they are a homemaker. “Oh, housewife? You must be enjoying the whole day at home, right?” Wrong, this mentality is wrong. And don’t even get me into what happens if a man says that he is a homemaker. Horrors of horrors! The “society” of ours will start pointing fingers at the man saying he is not “man enough” to be earning for the household.
Recently, a popular TV show focussed on the very same concept of a man being a homemaker while his wife practiced her profession. I found it to be a great achievement made by the TV industry, which is otherwise filled with stereotypes, by introducing such fresh storylines.
A home can be a house, but it isn’t the other way around. Anyone can have a house. But to make it a home, there must be someone who will keep the family together, and work towards its smooth functioning day and night. And that someone is, no prizes for guessing, a homemaker.
If my post has helped you in understanding the worth of a homemaker at least in a tiny way, please, take a moment to express your gratitude and appreciation to the homemaker in your house. Rest assured, the smile on their faces when you do so will fill your heart with joy and pride.
Until the next time, stay blessed!

Image via Pinterest.

Published by The Soulful Nib

Hello! I’m Chetana. A Music Buff. A Bibliophile. An Organisation Freak. A Minimalist. A Fitness Freak. Writing is something I am highly passionate about. Just as people live to eat, I live to write. I’m a Chartered Accountant by the day and a creative monster by the night (hehe :D). I aim to become a writer, an educator and an entrepreneur. In this blog, you'll find my musings, introspections, observations and occasionally, some poetry. I even review books on my Instagram page. My Pinterest and Instagram pages will help you in staying updated about the new posts I put up on the blog. Also, if you love reading, do follow me on Goodreads! I reside in the sweet and charming coastal city of Mangalore.

15 thoughts on “An Ode To The Most Underrated Job In The World”

  1. Excellent topic and it is written beautifully. Each and every word is meaningful, keep it up. Looking forward for more beautiful posts.

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  3. An ode to the most underrated job in the world,…… This topic written by you, shows the respect and love you have towards homemakers. This blog post is a pleasure to read and I feel each word, makes true sense, as I am a homemaker,😁
    May God bless you.

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  4. Worth reading .
    A homemaker has the most unique character like salt! Her presence is never remembered, but her absence makes all the things tasteless. Right?

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  5. Worth reading. I fully agree with you. A homemaker has the most unique character like salt! Her presence is never remembered, but her absence makes all the things tasteless. Right?

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  6. The meaning of economics is “House hold management”, and as far as I have seen, and understood, a homemaker can manage each and everything.😂 One day we can hope we get to write a additional degree of ” Economists”😂😂 in front of our name.
    I wish the word ” housewife” will be removed from the dictionary.

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  7. Yes Chetana, one more topic to put our thought into – home maker, house wife, home keeper etc. – which very often is taken so lightly without understanding the real meaning or significance of the word. Yes, it is a job requiring to work round the clock : 24 ×7 ×365 , a multifaceted, multidimensional & multitasking job without boundary & without job description, with no leave, no rest, no remuneration, no reward & yet always on duty. As I understand, almost all the homemakers happen to be mothers, leaving other non mother home makers – male or female( who come nowhere near the mother ). Tell me who else can be the best home maker than the MOTHER WHO ONLY –
    THE ONE & THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SATISFY ALL THE CRITERIA/ QUALIFICATION required for the job. She is the one who transforms a house into a home with her unconditional love, sacrifice, dedication & selfless service. The one who keeps everybody together, with her untiring & inexhaustible working spirit for the welfare of the family with nil expectation. Mother – so called as the home maker does so many things beyond the celebus which is just impossible to describe in words – which is not possible to jot down in our life time. Dear Chetana, we come to know so many things but we fail to understand, we fail to realise, we fail to feel, we fail to internalise, we fail to digest and also fail to express our feelings. People with shallow thinking consider the state/ status of homemaking as very trivial. Anything in life, which is/has to be understood properly, in the right perspective, should be felt through the heart only by experiencing it. No short cut for that. You understand it properly only by doing it. We are only revolving round the mother (house wife ) but it’s worth it. If you give love, there are hundreds of people to love you but the only person who loves you without expecting any love is the mother. For me homemaker means mother & She is the only person who can deliver the goods in the right way
    breaking all the boundaries / obstacles. I shall stop here.
    Good write up. Keep writing. God bless. 😊 👍
    –

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