It was one thing to end the mistreatment of women, specifically wives by their husbands, but they went too far, throwing the baby out with the bathwater. It is right for women to make the same money for the same work as men, it is right for women to be able to do most of the same jobs that men do. It is not right for women to have to leave their babies and young children with others to raise. It is not right that a woman isn’t able to do her natural job of caring for her children and keeping the home in good shape for the family to live in. It is right for the husband to be the provider and protector of the family and for the wife to be the homemaker and nurturing child care giver. It is right for a couple to make money decisions together. It is wrong for a man to believe that if his wife is at home with the children and caring for the house then she does not have a say in how the money he earns is used. Her work is just as valuable as his work is. In many cases it was this abuse by men that caused women to want jobs outside of the home. Yes, they wanted more material things for everyone in the family, but they wanted a say in how the money was used.
Everyone should carefully consider their priorities for their families. If you want emotionally stable, healthy children you must make that your priority. I believe that the destruction of the family unit has created the cold, selfish and materialistic generation we see today. In the quest to get rid of the misogynistic authoritarian family structure invoked in colonial America, we have also thrown out what was good and wholesome, such as love, monogamy and morality. We need a standard for living that is based on decency and goodness for healthy families. The man of the house (husband) must be the final decision maker, but not without listening to his wife and carefully considering her opinions and wisdom. When the two can’t agree there must be a final say and it should be his. This should never cause a man to feel like a despot or to wield leadership as a weapon. That wouldn’t be love! There are things that women wield (or withhold) as weapons too but remember – that’s not love!
I am a Christian. I believe in the morality that is written in the Bible. I know that people have taken the Bible and twisted it’s writings to make it fit their own agendas. For some it was Authoritarianism. For others it was for racism and hate. If we accept the teachings of Jesus we will love one another as ourselves. We will deny our selfishness and destructive cravings. We will put the laws of God first (the ones that are clearly written, not the ambiguous ones men invent). We will live for others, especially the members of our families instead of just ourselves. Living in this way would eliminate most divorces and create more loving and caring families. I know there will always be difficult and rocky circumstances in every family, but by putting others ahead of ourselves we will benefit and create a nurturing environment where everyone can heal and thrive. Because we are living in a fallen world, in fallen bodies, with fallen souls we can’t obey God’s laws without His Spirit living inside us. He will not force anyone to live His way. He gently guides us and calls to our inner thoughts to come to Him. If we accept His gift of Jesus Christ and tell him we’re willing to try to follow Him, He will change us and give us the guidance and strength we need to live His way.