Should a wife be paid to do household chores?

Hmmmm, this is a hard one, and I bet you get lots of conflicting answers. Personally. I don't think a housewife should be paid. Now that's not because I don't think a housewife does plenty of work. She (or sometimes a he of course) certainly works hard if she has kids at home. But, and here's the nub of my argument, I think that both partners should have equal access to the household money so there should be no need for her to draw a personal 'wage'. If she wants to go out and buy herself a dress? Go ahead! It's her money too! In a relationship where one partner stays home, I view it as a partnership where an agreement is made to share the workload. Part of that workload is to earn the money and part of that workload is to care for the children and look after the domestic side of things. Now, if that's the case then the profits of both shares of the work should also be shared. If the person who is out earning the money gets to share in the profits of the home-maker (cooked meals, ironed shirts, well cared for children etc) then the home maker should also get to share in the profits of the wage earner. That's why it's called a partnership!! And in case you're wondering, when I fill in an insurance application, they call my occupation 'housewife'!

I dont think a stay a home mom should get paid .How do you put a price on taking care of your kids. I do think that she should have acces to money to buy something for herself if she feels the need to without having to justify herself, because if it wasent for taking care of her husband and kids she probably would have a job.Not like taking care of kids is not a job.

First let me say, I was a stay at home mom for 16 years. That being said, I cleaned, did the laundry, took care of the kids, his, mine, and ours. I did the grocery shopping, bill paying, and ran errands. Should I have been paid for all that I did, hmmm, lets see, I bought the groceries from his pay, paid the bills from his pay, put gas in my car, oh yeah from his pay, and didn't have to ask to spend money on myself or my hobbies, from his pay. So, from my point of view, I was paid, I had a good roof over my head, me and the kids never wondered where our next meal was coming from, I could go wherever I pleased when I pleased, well except for the full time mom thing. For the ones that think they should get paid outright for their staying at home taking care of the kids, home and hubby....maybe you should think about all the daily benefits and if ya still want to get paid, drop the kids at school and go find a part time job.

First off, i have to say that I am a stay at home mother of three and i wasn't really sure how to take this discussion at first. My husband and I both agreed when we married that I would stay home with the kids. When you become married, everything becomes equal. what's yours is his and what is his is yours. we have two bank accounts, one that he uses and one that i pay the bills out of and buy the things we need or want out of. it's all out of his paycheck though. He has never said once that it was his money and that he was having to pay me to be at home. That isn't the way it works. I work just has hard staying at home, if not harder, than if i was out there making money. My husband is a great man and he gives all he can to me and the kids so that the bills are paid and that we have the things that we need, but he isn't paying me. It's his job to support his family and he's a firm believer in that. anyone that degrades a stay at home mother, i really pity. we are very hard workers and we don't get paid, like in a job, to stay at home. Married men that have their wives staying at home should be appreciative that we care enough to raise our families without putting them in daycare for someone else to raise just for an extra pay check. Granted, if i definitely had to work for us to be able to live, my husband knows that i would do it in a heartbeat, but he also doesn't want me to have to work right now until our daughter starts school which is another two years. God bless

I think that looking after the kid, cleaning and cooking is a job. Some women choose to do this instead of finding a job outside of the homeplace. I believe if the man is out working and paying bills, buying the food etc.. that is her pay. The government here in Canada gives mothers a cheque every month for having a child and we call it child tax credit. It's just a bonus if the man wants and does buy the woman a pretty dress for herself or decides to let her splurge on a treat of somesort.

why is it assumed that only we females are the ones doing the chores, eh?

i dont think anyone can value what a women does for her home.. taking care of the home, taking care of the kids, taking care of you. if u think you can pay that off just by paying her money, then what would be the difference between a house maid and wife..

As a wife though I am not really a stay at home wife I feel that a wife should not be paid monetarily doing household work but appreciated and paid respect for doing a great job of taking care of the kids and family unconditionally. The love and sacrifices she gives should be repaid not by material things but with love and respect in return by her husband and children as well.

Yes in a way she needs to be. But not openly with it. I sometimes feel that I would like to get paid for cleaning. I do one helluva job. But I would not want my husband to just come up and give me money and say that it is for cleaning. I would just want him to give me money as he would normally do.

No. Though I do believe the government should offer tax relief to families with stay-at-home mums. The work should be appreciated but payment would devalue the bringing up of children (and chores are something you do for yourself so why should you get paid for it?)

Personally I don't like to look at things that way. I am a SAHM with no income of my own. I am raising our five children. I have never asked or thought about "being paid" for what I do. I really don't think it should work that way. I handle the finances, while including my husband in decisions such as what bill is going to be paid, and if I plan to make a large purchase. If I need something for myself and we can afford it, I don't think twice about purchasing it, and unless it's over $50 (we are low income) then I don't bother to ask my husband. If I did ask him it would only be as a financial reason, not a "May I have this?". The way I see it, the money is OURS. Yes he earns it, but I support him in doing so. Without me he would have to pay a babysitter and hire a maid (he's a guy, he don't clean much). So I guess in a sense I am being paid for what I do, but it's not as if I go to him and say "Where's my weekly paycheck?" I am also lucky that he has never made an issue out of this. I know that if we had more money he would enjoy allowing me to buy myself more things. Before we had children he enjoyed "spoiling" me with gifts, or allowing me to go on mini shopping sprees. He enjoyed how happy it made me. He always says he'd like to be able for me to do that again, but with 5 children.... well, perhaps some day when they're older!

The family is built by a wife and husband, so they are both responsible for the household chores. If both them are free, they can do it together, if no, ok, the free one do it. Maybe you will say if both of them are busy, what can they do? Well, there must be some one who is freer, he or she will do it. That's a family, that's life. If people are payed to do house chores, that will lose the meaning of the family!

I guess I have always been very lucky. My husband has never made me ask for money. He knows my wants and needs and he has always given me whatever money I needed for the house and for myself. I have been a stay at home mom for 12 years and I have never felt unappreciated. We have always worked on bills together and always shared any extra money. I know that some women are not this fortunate. I feel like in a good marraige a woman shouldn't feel the need to be paid because the husband is alreay giving her money for herself. However, if a man is not doing this then I guess it could be introduced to him using this concept. Women should not feel trapped and dependant. And a part of that is having her own money.

Yes, I'd appreciate some payment please. My hubby comes home EVERY DAY to hot food and a clean home. He rarely has to lift the finger to do anything since I do everything, from cleaning the bathroom to moping the floor as as well the dishes and laundry. My mother-in-law thinks I'm spoiling him... The funny thing is if I had hired a maid to do all that, I would have to pay her on top of giving her a place to sleep and food to eat.

hmmm...interesting topic...since this is something I'm always thinking about. In our country, even if the woman is earning, most of the money is used for the household expenses and the woman needs to think many times and discuss with her husband (and sometimes in-laws) if she needs to get something for herself. Personally, I don't think a woman needs to be paid for the services...it kind of demans the work that she does....taking care of the kids...doing things out of love...that's priceless. What I feel is that...if she is a stay-at-home mom...she should have access to the money her husband earns. No harm in discussing and being able to buy something she likes for herself (as long as it's reasonable and within the budget). But having to ask permission for something she wants to buy and sometimes having to get a 'No' from the husband would make the wife feel like a child talking to her parent. I've been a stay-at-home mom and a working mom too....either ways...I think the best thing is for the money to be budgeted and open communication is the best thing...than to be paid.

I don't believe it is right to pay someone else to raise your kids unless you are truly a single parent and there is no other way. Therefore I stay at home with our kids and make what I can online in addition to the usual household chores. I have taught the children to pitch in where they are able and am teaching them budgeting skills amongst other things. As a family my husband works outside the home and thus pays for the major bills. I work online when I am able and that money goes to a few smaller bills, groceries and some fun stuff. It all comes out in the wash so to speak. Every mom is a working mom whether she is working outside of the home or not. If someone doesn't understand that then they have a serious problem. So that said, paid for chores? no, that is her responsibility while her husband is earning a paycheck. She can also teach her kids to help her out. Her reward is a happy household and an occasional dinner out or special event with her husband where they can both enjoy what they have accomplished together. Though it would be nice to be paid, I feel it is my responsibility to the household maintenance to do these things. Besides, if we paid someone else to do it for us, and the child care my entire pay check would be gone and I might end up owning more than I bring home.

I feel a stay at home mom should get a little allowance because what she is doing is considered working. I am a single but working mom and I always tell people that I have two jobs, it's just that I get paid for one. Taking care of home includes: dishes, feeding the brats, washing clothes, cleaning the house, helping with homework, being a nurse/doctor at times, and in my case, a referee ( I have 3 boys), and of course, taking care of your husband or significant other. But if the stay at home mom gets allowance, shouldn't stay at home dads?

If she has no source of income, and does not have access to family funds, I feel she's in an interesting situation, and should be paid. But if she already has access to the money, and is not going without, and can spend money on herself when she desires, then this means her and her man have already had the necessary discussion, for this situation to work. If a women is not receiving money elsewhere, because she is busy keeping your home that you live in, clean and you dont have to clean it, and she's raising your children...do you think she deserves to be without money? Do you think she's lazy or wasting her life? Or being a good mother? People need money, that's life.

I have 5 children most of them grown and moved out now, and I always worked throughout it all and came home and did housework cooking laundry all of it. My husband is a wonderful man because he did the same. Most households need a double income in order to survive but I will tell you this I DO NOT ENVY THE STAY AT HOME MOM/DAD. I spent plenty of quality time with my children and alway was there for all the important things. Housewives should not have to ask for a pay they should be treated with lots of respect The person you described up above is on his way to divorce court and guess what.. she still won't have to work because he will be paying her alamony and she won't have to clean his house or make him dinner. I would suggest for that woman to get out of the house and find a job and make him pay for the daycare. Then just maybe he will learn to respect how much she actually does. I work on Saturdays and my husband is home with our youngest son all day long and he will constantly say wow it is easier to be at work. Not only is being a stay at home parent physically exhausting it is an emotional roller coaster. There is nothing wrong with him coming home on payday and saying hey hon here is a few bucks why dont you go out and get you something you deserve. Chances are she would buy something for the kids or him though. This is a very contriveral subject because lots of people were raised as long as the man is making the money then you need to stay home and slave over the stove and the home. My advice is if you aren't appreciate the chores are still there the next day take your time and dont kill yourself.

What was the question again? Oh yeah, GETTING PAID. I would be insulted to get an allowance per se. That said, I am lucky enough to get paid with the ability to raise my kids, I'm lucky enough to not have the stress of outside employment to distract me from what matters the most. MY FAMILY. That is payment enough for me. However... Honey, if you read this... I wouldn't mind something sparkly now and again...lol!