The Feminist Mistake

I read a review on this book "The Feminist Mistake" by Leslie Bennets in my favorite momblog. I almost hit a button to buy, the I thought, how about I read all the reviews there were about this book before I buy it. True enough, at the end, I don't need to buy it 'cos I kinda get the gist of the book from all the reviews. And I'm glad I didn't bcos it would surely make me re-think of my decision to quit my job (though it's too late).

This book is about "supposedly a mistake", that, women quit their job to stay at home with their childre. This really interest me, and I'm sure many of you too. It talked about the "economic dependency" of women who stays at home. In simple terms, how working women who quit their job to stay at home eventually will lose their financial freedom.. and somehow, will definitely fall apart (financially) when their husbands left them (as is all husbands will leave their wives). The objective of her writing this book, according to momblog is to :
- ".. sound a warning to women who forgo income producing work in favor of a domestic role predicated on economic dependency… "
- ".. to document the long-term dangers of that choice"
- ".. to reaffirm the immense value of income producing work that gives women financial autonomy along with innumerable other rewards.”

Since I only the review, I can only make comments based on the reviews. So fine, I guess those working women who's thinking about quitting their job to stay at home with their kids will have some insights of what it would be like (financially) by reading this book. The awful truth. Some agreed with the author some didn't even get to page 3 and already hating it.

If I were to read the book, surely, it will scare me to death. Why? Because, the truth is, we are not financially ready to face the music! But hey, there are so many things that I can do to generate income (and this is definitely not covered in the book - it talked about the problem but not the resolution). It's a matter of whether I want to do it or not. In this cyber age and globalisation, anything is possible as long as you have the will. There's definitely a way, all you need is lots of will!

I have always been independent, financially.. and everything else. I hate to ask from other people especially from my other half. But there's always this small voice inside of me thinking .. why do I have to be so independent? What's wrong if I could ask my other half to help me financially.. And I was thinking also, the moment I quit my job .. it's payback timeee.. now he has to no choice but pay all the bills without me helping. Why don't I just sit back and relax and enjoy the children. Then I read this Feminist thingy and reviews and it struck me.. it's not about me trying so much to generate income, it is about what I want to do for the rest of my life! It's about doing something that I want to do all these while.. WRITING. And while I'm at it, I might as well kill the bird with one stone - generate money from my writing. Use my technical knowledge that's been on the shelf for so long!

There I've said it. Whether or not you want to believe it. And why am I rambling about this in the first place? Trying to justify something to somebody.. myself???