Wifely Expectations
In 1990, my parents made the brave decision to journey over to America with a newborn. They had minimal family in the U.S., very little money, and could barely speak English. Despite every obstacle they faced during their journey, they were determined to make a future for themselves and their children. During this time, women were expected to do housework while men were expected to be the family breadwinners. As Julie Brines states in her article,
“Wives perform housework— and husbands avoid it— to enact symbolically their femininity and masculinity”.
Julie Brines
These expectations were particularly emphasized in India, so it was quite a difficult adjustment for my parents to switch their roles around. In order to pursue the future they wanted, my mother had to work double shifts every day as a hotel maid while my father studied for his USMLE and took care of my older brother, who was 1 at the time. In my mother’s words, raising my brother was extremely difficult for them:
“With Samarth it was harder because I was working and we just got to America. It was a harder life to raise Samarth. We were very poor with Samarth; dad was studying so I had to work while raising Samarth”.
Mom
Shaili's Family 