Working Mother

November 14, 1994 When I was a child, many girls had a dream to be wives, housekeepers. In fact, many of them are married and quit their jobs. Even now, women who worked before marriage quit their jobs after marriage, or after having babies. To work and care for children is difficult for women because of several reasons, such as too much work to keep both working and houseworking, bad environment for working, misunderstandings from their husbands. However, I believe that it is absolutely good for mothers to keep working after having their children even if it is hard for them. I would like to explain that work is important for mothers from three respects, the history, the influence to their children, and the effectiveness for themselves. A hundred years ago, it is said that women should stay home, take care of their children, and keep their houses. This was important. Because the members of the family were many at that time, they needed someone who cared for the home all day. There were no water supplies, machine, or vehicles then. It was less convenient than today. Women had worked more than today to keep their houses. Cooking, cleaning houses, washing clothes were hard and also took their time without machines. In addition, they didn't have newspaper, television, or radio to exchange information. They didn't have time to think about other things and also didn't know other worlds. It is supposed that this age, itself, was a good age. They must have been happy in their own world. However, things have changed in this century. Nowadays, we can use various belongings by improving machines. Also, broadcasting and printing are massive influences on us. It is easy to communicate with the people who live at distance. At the same time, we are characterized in several different ways by thought from others. Likewise, the thinking has changed women's roles. We have much more time than before. We get numerous information to know other societies. It seems that women have to use their time more meaningfully. Though I don't have a child, I believe working women make a good influence on their children. Wise women can expend their time more considerably. It is difficult to put themselves in two places, inside and outside of the home. However, as working mothers can be more sympathetic about others than only at home, they must be soft and kind to others. Besides, they can consider their children responsibly in the society, not doting on their children only. When I was a child, I liked to see my mother working. I learned from her to use time skillfully. Sometimes, I felt inconvenient without my mother, but I came to learn from it. When I met some difficulties in my life, she showed me her conceptions. Sometimes they were rational, and sometimes they were ideal. And always she taught me how I should distinguish between the two of them. My friends saw a role model in my mother that she could do everything. Not only for children but also working is good for mothers, themselves, to spend their time outside. To repeat, keeping house, including practical and mental matters, is not easy. However, I heard some full-time housekeepers lost their own opinions by abiding alone in a house not connection with anyone. In other words, they lost their identities due to a lack of communication. Some women pay money and go to culture schools to use their boring time, and some of them feel guilty to spend their husbands' money. It is common in the world, not only in Japan. The world wide popular movie, "Fried Green Tomatoes" in 1991 shows that a heroine who doesn't have anything at home goes to a culture school to make her husband care her, but she isn't content with it at all. On the other hand, the working mother doesn't need to think about it. From their lives, they get their identities, opinions, friends, and money. In fact, working women have various advantages in these ways. Above all, I like them. Each of them has their own views which interest me. Also, they have experienced in versatile fields. They fascinate me invariably. Therefore, I also want to be able to work in the future even if it is difficult for me.

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