A family dinner is meant to be a shared experience, not one centered around gender roles and responsibilities.
However, when the men in this woman’s family wanted to watch a sports game instead of helping, the women decided to teach them a lesson by kicking them out.
The idea apparently came from frustration during Easter when most men chose not to contribute, leading to a poorly planned Fourth of July celebration.
Taking to the ‘Am I the A*****e?’ subreddit, the woman began her post with: “This has to do with my whole family. Last Easter all the women in the family got really p***ed off that all of the guys beside one ( Tim) sat on their a**. It was like pulling teeth to get them to help out. So for the Fourth of July we had them plan everything. It didn’t go well and they just grilled. No sides, no drinks, nothing.”
She then recounts how she’d brought up the idea to the other women that, if the men chose not to help for Thanksgiving this year, they “should just kick them out and have a women’s only thanksgiving.”
The women in the family all thought it was a fantastic idea, and each told their husbands that they were serious about following through with it. Alas, along came Thanksgiving and none of the men chose to help – even setting the table was clearly too difficult for them!
True to the plan, the women asked the men to leave, who were furious at being kicked out.
This incident, while hilarious, does raises questions about gender equality at home, as it highlights the constant imbalance in household responsibilities – because, despite women’s significant presence in the workforce, traditional roles often prevail when it comes to household chores and caregiving.
Dr. Anthony Chambers, Chief Academic Officer and Clinical Psychologist at Northwestern University, told The Family Dinner Project that there needs to be more clarity and communication about roles in modern dual-income families. Time constraints make it crucial for couples to work together, sharing responsibilities to manage family life effectively.
Family meals, seen as opportunities for connection and cohesion, serve as conduits for family identity, and having a flexible view of fathers’ roles is crucial for establishing a balance in responsibilities.
Research by David G. Smith and W. Brad Johnson emphasized in the Harvard Business Review that gender equality starts with men being equal partners at home. Men’s fair share of household chores, childcare, and emotional labor contribute to genuine support and can help gender equality at work.
So, in this scenario, instead of watching the game, the men could have set an example by assisting the women with dinner, showing a more equitable family dynamic to the children who were also present.
Overall, public opinion on the situation supports the women’s actions – in fact, virtually no one thought the women were in the wrong!
Though, we want to know what you think! Were the women doing the right thing or did they take it a little too far? Let us know in the comments!
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