Without Obedient, Insecure Women, The American Economy Would Fall Apart, And Men Know It
LOOK | CanvaEditor's Note: This is part of YourTango's Opinion section, where individual authors offer varied perspectives and commentary on political, social, and personal issues.
Ever since the colonists set foot on American shores, the United States has profited off the suffering of others.
This nation was built on stolen land and slave labor. We’ve bombed countries for oil and destabilized governments over bananas. We’ve turned healthcare into a luxury and education into a debt trap.
Yet one exploitation is so seamless, so perfectly disguised as moral virtue, that most people don’t even see it. For centuries, America has flourished by convincing half of its population that it exists to serve the other half. Nearly 170 million Americans are expected to offer their labor, care, bodies, and purchasing power, all in the name of “love.”
But it’s not actually for love, is it? It’s to line the pockets of powerful men.
Our economy is built on the exploitation of women, and after 248 years, it’s finally starting to unravel
Pixel-Shot | Shutterstock
Free labor
Let’s get one thing straight: Women have been working since the dawn of humanity. We just didn’t get paid for it until recently.
Historically, when men got married, they secured a maid, laundress, nanny, personal chef, party planner, and therapist, all rolled into one. Wives also helped their husbands with their livelihoods, whether that was harvesting crops in the field or balancing the books for their businesses.
Women did it all for free, so men could focus on their careers, desires, and hobbies.
That changed in the 20th century. Men went off to fight in World War II, so women took over their paid factory jobs. Then we started protesting for equal rights. By 1963, companies could no longer legally pay women less than men for doing the same work.
Yet most women still do hours of unpaid labor every day. At home, women still do most of the cooking, cleaning, and childcare. At work, we’re assigned 29% more “office housework” than male coworkers. Even though many of us also have full-time jobs, our unpaid work is valued at $1 trillion each year.
Without these 16 billion hours of free labor worldwide every day, our infrastructure would collapse. Judging by the childcare crisis, the caregiver shortage, and the unsustainable cost of living, I’d say it’s already begun.
Relationships
Like most girls, I grew up on Disney movies and rom-coms. “Your purpose in life is falling in love,” those sources told me. “You’ll be so much more fulfilled when you find a husband.”
Boys, on the other hand, were raised to believe they were the chosen ones: the Neos, Luke Skywalkers, Batmans, and Harry Potters of the world. While we dreamed of becoming wives, they dreamed of saving the universe — the protagonists to our supporting roles.
It didn’t quite turn out that way for either of us, did it?
In 1974, women earned the right to open their own bank accounts, get credit cards, and take out mortgages. We’ve only had 50 years to catch up, and already, single women own 2.7 million more homes than single men. Women have also outpaced men in college degrees, entrepreneurship, and spending growth.
Put simply, we no longer need husbands to secure housing or financial security, so many women are choosing to stay single.
The media calls this the “male loneliness epidemic.” I call it “Guys suddenly realizing how much women contributed to their emotional, financial, and physical well-being now that we’re no longer trapped in servitude.”
However you want to frame it, men are not doing well without us. According to studies, marriage benefits men much more than it benefits women. Married men make more money, experience less depression, commit fewer suicides, and are physically healthier than their single counterparts.
And, ironically, single women are much happier than single men. (Sorry, Cinderella.)
Capitalism
STEKLO | Shutterstock
Psychologically, marketing works by convincing you that you’re not good enough without a particular product, and few industries are as ruthless as beauty.
Through ads that target girls as young as eight, women are taught that in order to be worthy, they need to paint their face. Pluck their brows. Darken their lashes. Lighten their skin. Remove their body hair. Tighten their wrinkles. Manicure their nails. Cinch their waist. Plump their lips. Shrink their nose. Dye their hair. Lift their breasts. Lose their belly but grow their tush.
In 2023, the beauty industry reached $446 billion. Over her lifetime, the average American woman will spend a quarter of a million dollars on her appearance—yet most of these companies are led by men.
Even outside of the beauty industry, studies show that advertisers overwhelmingly target female-only audiences, and women make about 85% of all purchases in the United States. Why? Because we’re raised to believe that we couldn’t possibly be whole exactly as we are.
But if every American woman suddenly decided she didn’t need that designer bag, that lip filler, that curated home, or that Pinterest-perfect wedding in order to be worthy, the economy would crumble within days.
Childbearing
American birth rates have been steadily declining since 2008, and now they’re at an all-time low. Certain politicians are losing their minds over it. They’re brainstorming ways to encourage baby-making through medals and $5,000 bonuses. They’re trying to publicly shame the “childless cat ladies” into submission. They’re using state laws to force women into childbirth.
Why do they care so much? I promise you, it has nothing to do with family values or the Bible.
Look at the politicians who push so hard for pronatalism. Now look at the dudes who sat in the front row of the last presidential inauguration. Now consider the fact that Elon Musk said, “A collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far.”
A danger to civilization, or a danger to the six companies he owns?
They don’t care about babies. If they did, they’d support affordable healthcare, childcare, parental leave, quality education, housing security, food security, environmental protections, and maternal health services. They’d also be better fathers themselves.
They care about having enough workers and consumers to keep making money, and women who refuse to procreate directly impact their future bottom lines.
No wonder men in power are so bent on keeping us small, shameful, and self-sacrificing. Without our free labor, our emotional care, our insecurity, and our wombs, America falls apart.
Maria Cassano is a writer, editor, and journalist whose work has appeared in HuffPost, NBC, Bustle, CNN, The Daily Beast, Food & Wine, and USA Today, among others. Her debut memoir (Numb, Party of One: A Memoir of Healing From Dissociation) is currently available for pre-order.
