In Malaysia, the idea of a husband staying at home and taking care of the kids whilst his wife goes out to work is still considered a taboo or even shameful practice.
There is even still the belief that wives should not earn more than husbands as it will make them feel stressed.
Recently, a local Malay newspaper faced backlash after it had blurred the face of a house husband in an article about how more and more men with high earning wives are becoming house husbands.
Twitter user, Suraya who is the founder of personal finance blog, Ringgit Oh Ringgit, expressed her thoughts on the image choice of the news article via Twitter.
husband and wife in supportive partnerships: *happily live their life*
malay tabloid: *implies that men becoming house husbands is embarrassing sampai censor muka*
Kadang2 kita OK je tapi orang yang sibuk tak suka hidup kita. Tabah je la lelaki, keep being a good dad & husbands pic.twitter.com/krcrCgxiIe
— Suraya | suraya.eth (@surayaror) March 10, 2022
In her post, Suraya pointed out how the Malay portal seems to be implying that men becoming house husbands is embarrassing to the point where faces need to be blurred.
“Sometimes we are okay with our lives but people hate how we live. Stay strong men, keep being a good dad & husband,” she said.
She reminded that men who are hoping to be house husbands need to get the approval of their wives first. If that does happen then married couples who are happy with this arrangement, mutually supportive and helpful towards each other can lead to positive outcomes.
Time to change the stereotype
Suraya’s thoughts were well supported with many netizens commenting to say that things needs to be changed to make sure that men don’t feel ashamed of it anymore.
One user said, “I’m a house husband. I took care of 2 children since birth. I take care of them, pick up and send my wife and kids, cook, clean, wash and fold clothes and it’s chaos.”
“But it’s great that I get to see my kids grow up in front of my own eyes.”
Another netizen said that this is why they hate local Malay medias. “My dad was a house husband and was the best dad I’ve ever seen.”
“Even the prophet was doing house chores. As long as both parties agree and can make their marriage work.”
Some netizens disagreed
On the other hand, some disagreed and said that the stereotype and practice is there for a reason. “Generally, this could be bad! Naturally, men are providers and women are nurturers!”
“This is reversed! The world is just getting weirder!”
What do you think? Should more men become househusbands if their wives are earning more? Let us know in the comments.
Also read: Hannah Yeoh Slams Melaka’s Govt For Stating That Men Feel Stressed When Their Wives Earn More
