The Seven Days Diary of A Working Mom

"You could just be home with your children." 

The answer is; I won't. I was lucky enough to be born in a family that supports my abilities, regardless of gender. My mother always said it's important for a woman to be financially independent, reminding me about feminism and the significance of equality. 

Despite enjoying myself as a full-time worker, I'm also grateful that I could contribute to our household's stability, security, and happiness. I believe, being a working mom or housewife is a choice. 

Apart from having an option, according to World Bank Chief Economist, Indermit Gill, women have the power to turbocharge the sputtering global economy. Closing gender gaps in areas such as employment and entrepreneurship could increase global gross domestic product by 20% (World Economic Forum, 2024).

Gender equality and women empowerment are vital to the development agenda of economies (IMF and World Bank, 2007). Those movements make good economic sense and support other development goals including nutrition, education, and reducing child mortality.

Day 3: The Co-Parenting

Dear diary...

Every day, my weekdays are packed. Fortunately, my husband and I make a pretty good team. Before exchanging vows sixteen years ago, we decided to co-parent and respect each other's values.

In our house,decision-making relates to the theory of joint household production by Gary Becker (1965). It is simply about how each partner should take on collaborative duties of cooking, cleaning, and childcare.

The concept of joint household production took off from Becker's household production theory, which claims that households generate commodities and services utilizing market resources and time of the household members, with the goal of maximizing utility through effective time and resource allocation.

The utility function of household production theory is shown as U=U(Z1, Z2; T) where Z1 and Z2 are regarded as various commodities produced by the household; such as meals, childcare, etc. Followed by T as total time allocated to numerous activities. This function emphasizes that households must navigate the budget and time constraints to maximize their overall satisfaction.