If someone said
to me, “Women are just as competent and qualified as men for the most important
jobs in society, so why should they stay home and raise children?” I would say,
“You just answered your own question.” The bigger problem in our society is not
inequality in the workplace, but the eviction of motherhood from its rightful
place of honor.
I fully support
equality in the workplace. My mother was a police officer and a therapist
during different seasons of my upbringing. My wife worked as a marriage and
family counselor. In my professional life, some of the best managers I’ve
reported to were women. I don’t deny that women often aren’t compensated for
the value they create in the marketplace in the same way as their male
colleagues. Nor do I deny that this inequality is wrong, detrimental to
society, and should be pointed out in public discourse.
But the idea that
a woman who chooses to be a stay-at-home mom is somehow missing out or settling
for less is a ridiculous notion. When exactly did raising the next generation,
sacrificially teaching them integrity and kindness and wisdom and work ethic
day in and day out come to be considered less important than the labor of
doctors or lawyers or accountants? How is caring for people’s bodies or
companies or money more important than the formation of their souls? It’s not.
In the long term, I’d argue it’s less important.
Motherhood is the
ultimate act of service, the greatest sacrifice, and the most pressing need.
Women are indeed just as competent and qualified for the most important jobs in
society. In some ways they are more qualified. This is why those who choose the
most important job of all – staying home to raise children – should be held in
the highest esteem.