Women as Homemakers

Home Maker Anne Marrow Lindberg said, “By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacation-less class.” However, the achievements of women who choose not to work out of the home are remarkable. Everyone knows women, who in spite of lack of education and other opportunities have created works of art in their quilts, embroidery, knitting, crocheting, and other forms of self-expression. The mothers whose home-made bread, cinnamon rolls, and ethnic dishes have been passed down through generations like precious jewels, are the people most remembered in memoirs and autobiographies of famous and not so famous individuals. Their undocumented accomplishments may not be recognized by historians, but they are remembered in the hearts and souls of their children everywhere. Many central Minnesota women have chosen to devote themselves full time to the care and nurture of children and/or their husbands and home. “Homemaker” is their career of choice, an inadequate word that cannot possibly describe the enormity or the value of their contribution. Often, they sacrifice a second paycheck for the family. Sometimes, their endeavors are perceived by today’s society as less than those who work outside the home. However, their work is foundational for society because it brings, with varying degrees of success, calm and stability to the home as an alternative to the busy-ness and uncertainty of living “out” in society. These women are givers: participating in the community through church, civic, school, and volunteer activities; supporting their partners who work in the 8-5 and bring home the paycheck; offering their children developmental opportunities so they, in turn, make their own contribution as they cycle of generations continues. The Remarkable Women Project honors all women who have chosen the Home as their career.