Traditionally men and women have formed a provider/homemaker couple. The man would get a job and earn the resources needed by the family. The woman would use the resources generated to create a home and care for a family, creating additional resources directly for the family (clothes, preserves, …) as time allowed and making sure that all resources were used effectively through budgeting and home economics. This was an effective arrangement because it allowed each spouse to focus on one area and maximize there. Because they shared in both the income and the home/family, they could have the best of both worlds – a high income plus a nice home and family life.
But it wasn’t as if the husband was on his own in the workplace. Far from it. The wife provided all sorts of support that helped him get farther and earn more money for the family. The husband also provided support at home where needed, especially where strength was required or where jobs were dangerous or dirty. They supported each other in a symbiotic relationship, making the sum greater than the parts. Today we’ll discuss why the provider/homemaker model is better than the modern dual income model when it comes to success in career. We won’t discuss the advantages for home life in this article, but here the provider/homemaker model wins out as well.
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The provider/homemaker system
In the provider/homemaker system, two people agree to bond together and then split up the responsibilities needed to gather the resources needed to survive and thrive. Traditionally the man has taken the provider role because most higher-paying jobs outside of the home were not suitable for women, plus the world and workplace was a dangerous place, but with modern jobs and society the provider and homemaker could be of either sex. To be effective, the bond must be total, where both no longer think of and work for themselves but instead do what is best for the union. This union must be unbreakable since both individuals will be relying totally on the other individual for important aspects of their lives. Total trust is needed to allow for this level of dependence.
The provider’s central and nearly total effort and responsibility is to do what is needed to earn an income and provide the honor for the family through his/her business activities. Doing what is needed to advance his/her job and career and make as much as possible for the family is the top priority for the earner. In cases where there is a conflict between work and a home responsibility, the job would win out. To be a top earner, the job must come first for the provider and other things second except under extreme circumstances.
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To make this possible without the provider’s life becoming a total train wreck, the homemaker makes home and family her/his top priority. The homemaker makes sure that whatever care for children is needed at home is provided, whatever chores needed to keep the house clean and functioning well are done, whatever errands are needed are completed, whatever repairs and upkeep needed that are outsourced to repairmen are done, that meals are prepared and ready when needed, and anything else needed for the home is taken care of. The homemaker also works to make the home a pleasant and welcoming place to be. Doing this allows the provider to focus full-time on career. The provider allows the homemaker to focus full-time on the home.
If done well, the load on the provider and the homemaker will be roughly even. Most of what needs to be done will be completed between the morning and afternoon, leaving most evenings free for family time and activities. There will be times when the provider will need to work over or travel. There will be times when the homemaker will have more to do because of children’s needs or extra care for the home being needed. In general, however, both should be working for about equal numbers of hours and both should have free-time.
How the homemaker supports the provider
Just because the provider has primary responsibility to generate an income does not mean he/she does not receive support. The income belongs to the family, as does the career, and it is in both of their best interest that he/she is as successful as possible at work. Ideally, from the time the provider is in college/training and learning the needed skills to enter a career throughout his/her career, the couple will be working together to make the job as successful as possible. While in training the homemaker would obviously help by taking care of the home and most meals, but may also help more directly by editing papers, helping with memorization drills and test preparation, typing up dissertations, and in other areas.
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Once in the career the homemaker’s main support is taking care of all of the things besides the job that must be done during the workday so that provider can focus on doing the best job and advancing to higher salary levels. This includes taking care of the children, providing a clean home, doing cooking and laundry, and managing errands and getting supplies. This should be done in proportion to what the provider is doing. If there is more to do than can be done during the same time period, the provider certainly should take on additional tasks during periods when he/she is not working. This is certainly true when children are very little and need a great deal of attention and care, making doing housework and cooking difficult.
The homemaker can provide a great deal more support for the provider when there are not little children at home. Laundering and pressing work clothes, preparing lunches to take to work to save money, and helping the provider to remember important work events are examples of support that can help the provider be more effective at work. The homemaker also can help out by making social connections and helping the provider maintain useful relationships. This could be making connections with the spouses of bosses and members of the community and planning dinner parties and get-togethers than build relationships. It could also be preparing dinner and providing a clean space to have people over for social events. All of these will help the provider advance in career and, by doing so, increase the salary that both share. As salary increases, chores that the homemaker doesn’t want to do like cleaning bathrooms and laundry can be outsourced with the homemaker coordinating the help. Cooking can also be reduced with more meals out if desired or the hiring of a home chef.
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Provider/homemaker wins over dual income
In the workplace, a provider/homemaker (P/H) couple will win out over a dual income (DI) couple. The P/H couple is two people competing against one person in this scenario. Because each member of the DI couple is working only for him/herself, it becomes a matter of one person competing against two when the DI worker is competing against a P?H worker. The DI worker needs to work the full job and prepare clothes and food for work, all by himself/herself because his/her spouse is doing the same thing. The DI worker needs to do half of whatever is needed for the home when he/she gets off work since they were both working and no one had time to do housework during the day. Often the DI couple will spend more money than the P/H couple since there is no time to do work directly for themselves like cooking meals, so any extra income generated will just be spent.
The DI worker will tend to be less committed to the job since childcare issues and home errands will require their time randomly. A child will be sick and the DI worker will need to take the day off to care for him. The water heater will break and the DI worker will need to wait at home for the repairmen or take off the day to replace it. The P/H couple already has someone at home to take care of these things, so the worker just continues on like normal. The P/H worker will be more reliable and be there when the company or his/her business needs him/her. This will make the difference in promotions and opportunities.
If a work trip is needed, the P/H worker will be able to go without issues. The DI family needs to adjust to cover home responsibilities and may not be able to travel often because of this. The P/H worker will also be able to focus his/her mind on work since he/she will know things at home are being taken care of. There is far less mental load for the P/H worker than the DI worker who needs to balance everything. All of this makes the P/H worker more valuable to the company and allows him/her to get farther in career.
While the DI couple may start out making more income, the P/H couple will often end up at a higher income level by mid-career. This is especially true as both couples start having children and responsibilities at home become more demanding. Working together, the P/H couple will be able to be a better worker or more successful businessman/woman than a member of a DI couple. He/she will also have a better home life, the couple will be able to spend more time with the kids collectively, and will be able to save money and make salary go further.
The P/H model is just a better system than DI when it comes to the workplace. If you choose the DI system, you’re on your own. With the P/H system, you’re working as a team. It’s one competing against two. Two will win out.
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Disclaimer: This blog is not meant to give financial planning advice, it gives information on a specific investment strategy and picking stocks. It is not a solicitation to buy or sell stocks or any security. Financial planning advice should be sought from a certified financial planner, which the author is not. All investments involve risk and the reader as urged to consider risks carefully and seek the advice of experts if needed before investing.
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