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Why is there so little discussion about the loss of status of stay at home parenting?
When my grandmother quit being a nurse to become a stay at home mother, it was seen like a great thing. She gained status over her sisters, who stayed single and in their careers.
When my mother quit her office role to become a stay at home mother, it was accepted, but not celebrated. She likely loss status in society due to her decision.
I am a mid 30s millenial, and I don't know a single woman who would leave her career to become a stay at home mother. They fear that their status in society would drop considerably.
Note how all my examples talk about stay at home motherhood. Stay at home fatherhood never had high status in society.
What can we do as a society to elevate the status of stay at home parenting?
I wonder how much this differs between bubbles. For example, one parent staying at home seems to be pretty normal among homeschooling parents; it is hard to do otherwise. Here are some guesses:
Availability bias -- it does not matter how successful or famous is the average person, but the most successful or famous people you know most likely have a career. Therefore, people associate career with success and fame.
The stay-at-home mom is only known to her neighbors, unless she also happens to be e.g. a popular blogger. So the number of such people you know is... (read more)