Marriage and Economics

Marriage and Economics
Student’s Name
Institution affiliation
Abstract
Marriage plays a critical role in the economic prosperity of households across New Zealand. Many feminist theories have been developed by different women writers basing their arguments on marriage and economics. My paper will be based on Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s writing “Women and Economics” so as to expound on my topic on marriage and economics. Perkins lived at a time of tremendous upheaval in the history of her country that was characterized by civil war, an industrial revolution, women movements and many other activities. The events made her act as a commentator on the evolving social order, especially on its effects on women. She used her talent and energies to understanding the world and her place in it and extended the insights to other women. On the same note, she was raised with customary prospects about marital life, but she got confined in a calamitous matrimony that led to annulment and joint trusteeship of her spawn with her earlier partner. Consequently, she was detested by her kinfolk and associates for her indecent activities and relocated to California. Her deviance from customary models of marriage made her comprehend the constrictions of economic liberty in the lives of females in America. Therefore, this paper shall apply the usage of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s work “Women and Economics” so as to demonstrate how her ideas are relevant to the lives of women in contemporary Aotearoa.

On the same note, the paper shall address the topic “Marriage and Economics” by discussing the concepts presented in Gilman’s works with a friend and note down the results of the conversation.

Introduction
The marriage institution plays a critical role in economic development of households in the in contemporary Aotearoa. Gilman argues that married women should change their cultural identities that have made them be seen as the only female species dependent on the male species for survival. Hence, the traditional economics involved in marriage demands that women should pay back their debt to men by carrying out household chores. Gilman observed that many activities carried out by women are under the direction of men and this sexual distinction has led to a strange distribution of power. Thus, this has made women be left behind while men have claimed the credit for all human progress that has been witnessed across the globe. Customarily, women in Aotearoa have played the role of being mothers in marriage and have been stunted in their personal and creative growth. The acts have made women be viewed as the unpaid workers and nurturers for a long time since the roles are passed on to children from one generation to another.
Gilman’s Ideas on “Women and Economics.”
Gilman explored the notion of supply and demand in the marital “market” through searching for the elements that portray the value of a wife in this souk. She held that social edifice that portrayed the family as the chief economic entity in the community made the marriage institution to depict an appearance of a marketplace. Thus, this shows that the society created sex relations so as to fulfill the conventional economic roles (Mourik, Poot, & Siegers, 1989). Gilman claimed that a woman gets her living by finding a husband whereas a man gets a wife by getting a living. On the same note, she said “It is to her economic advantage to secure a mate. It is to his sex advantage to secure a mate. The sex functions to her have become economic functions. Economic functions to him have become sex functions” (Gilman, 1998). Therefore, this implies that in the marriage market, the demand for a particular male was boosted by his earnings or affluence while the supply was obtainable by a discrete female in the form of the power of sex-attraction. Her argument does not apply to the contemporary Aotearoa since many of its women have good paying jobs and businesses. Thus, they never seek husbands so as to secure an economic advantage since they actively participate in the economic growth of their household.
Gilman touched on the specialization of household labor in her writing “Women and Economics.” She explains the personalization of housekeeping in the marriage institution that has led to thrilling ineptitude in production (Degler, 1966). Gilman supports her idea by claiming that ladies do not attain any compensation of the chores that they carry out despite performing the onuses solely. On the same note, she views organization and collectivization as critical elements of human evolution. In her book, she said “The women who do the most work get the least money, and the women who have the most money do the least work” (Gilman, 1998). Her ideas are correct among women in the modern Aotearoa since NZ females cannot be anticipated to attain ideal output in the domiciliary upkeep when they are obligated to do work that is required to be carried out in groups. Therefore, if the force put on ladies would be conveyed to mutual collective energies, efficiency would upsurge (Dye, Rossouw, & Pacheco, 2012).
Gilman discusses the idea of motherhood as a motif that delivers a false sense of value to women and acts as a means of validation. She explains that motherhood cannot function to provide prosperity to women since their reproductive labor is viewed as a resource and commodity for the household. On the same note, motherhood makes women unable to work productively since the act requires a vast amount of energy and time which ends up creating economic dependence on husbands (Dann, 1985). She says, “To work is not only a right, it is a duty. To work to the full capacity of one’s powers is necessary for human development” (Gilman, 1998). Therefore, this shows that she was championing for women to work to their full capacity so as to reduce their economic dependence on men. In this case, I differ with Gilman on viewing motherhood as a problem that hinders women to prosper in the society. The problem lies in the husband’s unwillingness to provide alternative models of organizing maternal care. In NZ, many models have been developed such as free daycare that helps to reveal mothers so that they can carry out their chores in their particular occupations. Therefore, the ideas of Gilman are just a reflection of the times she lived where all women were subjected to becoming mothers.
Charlotte Perkins claimed that economic marriages are bound by the hierarchal class system that aims at oppressing the female partner. She argues that if women achieve their economic independence, they shall be elevated to the same level as their husbands. Therefore, this shows that only under such an environment can both man and woman become equal entities in the marriage institution (Ball & Ryan, 2013). Similarly, she feels that once equality has been established, the economic importance of all members within marriage would rise above the constructs of gender. Consequently, this will make married women in NZ be in a position to create, discover, learn, and make advancements in different fields of economics within their State.
Results of the Conversation of Gilman’s Ideas with a Friend
My friend reacted to the concept of the hierarchal class system since she has had an experience on it in her marriage. She claimed that in her marriage, they no longer depend on one another for economic support since they agreed to be equal and their marriage is solely based on love. Therefore, this has assisted their young family to vastly grow as each partner is in a position to contribute to the economic development of their household. On the same note, she refuted the idea of motherhood that was presented in Gilman’s writings. She said that her husband implemented various models that have assisted in sharing the role of motherhood and giving her time to carry out her activities.
Similarly, my friend supported Gilman’s idea of the specialization of household labor. She claimed that she carries out many household chores that are meant to be done by both partners in the marriage institution. She said that the individualization has led to inefficiency in productivity in their marriage since she rarely gets support from her husband to carry out particular tasks that have been viewed by the society as female jobs.
Conclusion
Gilman’s ideas in her work “Women and Economics” have various correlations and little dissimilarity to marriage and economics in the contemporary NZ. She raised different ideas that have impacted married women in realizing their prosperity and the ways in which the marriage institution can be constructed so as to improve its economic growth. According to Gilman, if some of the restrictions in marriage are eliminated, women will equal to men, and this will reduce the economic dependence of wives on their husbands. On the same note, the discussion that I held with a friend depicted that the contemporary Aotearoa believes in equality among spouses in a marriage. The act makes many households to prosper at a higher rate as compared to the times when women we viewed as people who carried household chores and motherhood roles. According to the results of the conversation with my friend, the element of specialization of household chores was noted to be still in practice in the modern Aotearoa.
References
Ball, C. & Ryan, M. (2013). New Zealand households and the 2008/09 recession. New Zealand Economic Papers, 48(1), 21-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00779954.2013.834545
Dann, C. (1985). ‘Over the Years’ in Up From Under: Women and Liberation in New Zealand 1970-1985. (1st ed., pp. 1-27). Wellington: Allen & Unwin.
Degler, C.N. (Ed.). (1966). ‘Introduction to the Torchbook Edition’ in C.P. Gilman, Women and Economics: A Study of the Economic Relation Between Men and Women as a Factor in Social Revolution. New York: Harper & Row.
Dye, J., Rossouw, S., & Pacheco, G. (2012). Well-being of women in New Zealand: The changing landscape. New Zealand Economic Papers, 46(3), 273-302. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00779954.2012.722845
Gilman, C. (1998). Women and Economics (1st ed.). Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press.
Mourik, A., Poot, J., & Siegers, J. (1989). Trends in occupational segregation of women and men in New Zealand: Some new evidence∗. New Zealand Economic Papers, 23(1), 29-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00779958909544145