Thai woman challenges traditional roles with refusal to iron husband’s clothes

[NoDisplayName]

Be careful what you wish for!

 

If you refuse to do women's work, then your husband can legitimately refuse to do man's work.

 

They YOU may become responsible for blowing your family income on lottery tickets and whiskey, and YOU may have to entertain all those bar floozies.  Heck, you might even have to start beating yourself, as well.

[blazes]

48 minutes ago, Almer said:

Thai ladies in general are not the best house keepers but you never see a child going to schooll looking less than impecable. IMHO

It's all about "face"  -- loss of (if kids not looking spic & span).

[Gottfrid]

She is right

 

[smew]

Fake and more fakes … anyone writing about such things is a fake trying to gain readers 

[talahtnut]

I rely on having my newspapers ironed every morning before I read them.

[Bangel72]

Don't own and iron or an ironing board, nor a washing machine for that matter.

 

I outsource once a month for about 800 baht.

 

Tend to think these days a maid once a month is a far better option than a wife or husband, when I've balanced up what they brought to the table some good, some bad, some other and the costs, the costs its seems a logical evolution.

 

Even when I did have a partner though, if they were not lazy and were working and contributing expecting them to also pick up the housework is absurd, you end up with a tired grumpy partner and that's no fun at all, outsource for happier life and relationship. Now lazy, drunk, whining, spending all your money and not working partner would ironing and housework save the relationship, perhaps but still maid option sounds better in long run.

 

I'd hope tinder has a section for those looking for a different type of relationship, will need a nanny who irons for the school holidays, the last one was about 80 and was awesome, much better than his mum ever was.

 

[CM Dad]

I have been doing my own laundry and ironing since I was ten years old.  Any person who cannot take care of themself will never mature and grow to become a real man or woman.  Life skills do not have a gender.

[blazes]

54 minutes ago, talahtnut said:

I rely on having my newspapers ironed every morning before I read them.

 

ah The Times, my good man.  But the Dirty Digger from Australia put an end to the   broadsheet version in the early 70's.  Fake news!

[Bobthegimp]

10 minutes ago, CM Dad said:

Any person who cannot take care of themself will never mature and grow to become a real man or woman

 

What do they become, trannies? 

 

There's a term for ten year olds looking after themselves:  neglect. 

[Bday Prang]

8 hours ago, ravip said:

It is incredible, that even today there are human beings believing women have a different set of standard work allocated to them!

Talk about male dominance...

Call me a traditionalist, as I actually think it's refreshing  but Yeah I'll remember that next time we get a flat tyre, in the rain, at night, on a busy road

 

[sambum]

9 hours ago, nikmar said:

My wife does my work clothes - sometimes i do it myself. The things some people find to argue over. 

I like how my wife - probably due to laziness on her part - taught our son to iron his school clothes. He washes, cooks and cleans so at least he s not incapable of taking care of himeself

 

 

I left home at 17 - the main reason being my  "traditional" mother in law, who wouldn't ALLOW me to do any of the jobs that were traditionally "woman's work"! Consequently, I learned very quickly how to cook (Cook or starve as I couldn't afford to eat out a lot, and "carry outs" were practically unheard of in those days -  fish 'n chip shops were the occasional "luxury"!)

Also washing and cleaning were tasks soon learned - if I didn't do it, nobody did it, and landlords do not like untidy, dirty tenants!

 

I eventually got married, and my wife was pleasantly (?) surprised how capable I was of looking after myself!

 

My attitude is that if both partners work,. they should share the chores, if only one works, then the other should do the bulk of the household chores.

 

 

 

 

 

[Sydebolle]

The chauvinist has not understood, that in such a case the possibly not-too-busy mother-in-law, who is a part of the problem and not the solution, could lend a hand. Or he could spend more money for "wash and wear" garments. Or, worst case scenario, he could iron himself without being considered a pussy ........ 

Another quiet day at the news desk it seems .......... 

[Bday Prang]

1 hour ago, Bangel72 said:

Don't own and iron or an ironing board, nor a washing machine for that matter.

 

I outsource once a month for about 800 baht.

 

Tend to think these days a maid once a month is a far better option than a wife or husband, when I've balanced up what they brought to the table some good, some bad, some other and the costs, the costs its seems a logical evolution.

 

Even when I did have a partner though, if they were not lazy and were working and contributing expecting them to also pick up the housework is absurd, you end up with a tired grumpy partner and that's no fun at all, outsource for happier life and relationship. Now lazy, drunk, whining, spending all your money and not working partner would ironing and housework save the relationship, perhaps but still maid option sounds better in long run.

 

I'd hope tinder has a section for those looking for a different type of relationship, will need a nanny who irons for the school holidays, the last one was about 80 and was awesome, much better than his mum ever was.

 

Most women prefer real men , they like to know their place, and feel comfortable in it, 

[Bday Prang]

2 hours ago, NoDisplayName said:

Be careful what you wish for!

 

If you refuse to do women's work, then your husband can legitimately refuse to do man's work.

 

They YOU may become responsible for blowing your family income on lottery tickets and whiskey, and YOU may have to entertain all those bar floozies.  Heck, you might even have to start beating yourself, as well.

blowing money on lottery tickets is woman's work where I live,  earning the money is a different matter, apparently

[AgMech Cowboy]

Just offer the MIL a few thousand per month to iron her husband's clothes. End of story.

[NoDisplayName]

1 hour ago, Bobthegimp said:

 

What do they become, trannies? 

 

There's a term for ten year olds looking after themselves:  neglect. 

 

in pre-nanny state terms it would be "learning responsibility and how to become self-sufficient."

 

but nowadays it's called "it takes a village to create an emasculated oxygen sink."

[Bobthegimp]

13 minutes ago, NoDisplayName said:

 

in pre-nanny state terms it would be "learning responsibility and how to become self-sufficient."

 

but nowadays it's called "it takes a village to create an emasculated oxygen sink."

 

Both statements are true. 

 

I also ironed my own clothes from the age of nine or ten, and my older sisters paid me to iron theirs.  My Latina gf nearly had a heart attack when I ironed a cotton shirt before we went out for dinner - she even took pictures because she'd never seen a man wield an iron. 

[Modern Coding]

4 hours ago, Olav Seglem said:

Maybe she should get a new mother in law and what goes with it.

Normally a husband would "set his mother right" if she bullies his wife :-)

 

Normally?? According to which criteria??

Never heard of tiger moms??

Man, time to land! This is Asia, not Scandinavia: there is no such things as kids calling the police if parents punish them!

[RobU]

5 hours ago, keithkarmann said:

Why is this news?

It's called 'Human Interest' it is done by every news publication in the world. It breaks the monotony of bad news, worse news and politics.

[Lopburikid]

11 hours ago, nikmar said:

My wife does my work clothes - sometimes i do it myself. The things some people find to argue over. 

I like how my wife - probably due to laziness on her part - taught our son to iron his school clothes. He washes, cooks and cleans so at least he s not incapable of taking care of himeself

 

I think your wife should be commended for teaching your son home economics. I believe household chores should be shared out amongst the people living in the home.

[ozimoron]

16 minutes ago, Bobthegimp said:

 

Both statements are true. 

 

I also ironed my own clothes from the age of nine or ten, and my older sisters paid me to iron theirs.  My Latina gf nearly had a heart attack when I ironed a cotton shirt before we went out for dinner - she even took pictures because she'd never seen a man wield an iron. 

 

Me too and I don't think I have forgotten how to do it. I have no clue if my girlfriend knows how to iron or not.

[RobU]

1 hour ago, sambum said:

 

I left home at 17 - the main reason being my  "traditional" mother in law, who wouldn't ALLOW me to do any of the jobs that were traditionally "woman's work"! Consequently, I learned very quickly how to cook (Cook or starve as I couldn't afford to eat out a lot, and "carry outs" were practically unheard of in those days -  fish 'n chip shops were the occasional "luxury"!)

Also washing and cleaning were tasks soon learned - if I didn't do it, nobody did it, and landlords do not like untidy, dirty tenants!

 

I eventually got married, and my wife was pleasantly (?) surprised how capable I was of looking after myself!

 

My attitude is that if both partners work,. they should share the chores, if only one works, then the other should do the bulk of the household chores.

 

 

 

 

 

You left home at 17 to get away from your traditional Mother in Law? So you abandoned your first wife because of her traditional Mother were you both 16 when you first got married or was she older? 🤣😂🤣

[FruitPudding]

I wonder if she also buys him dinner?

[Lacessit]

3 hours ago, talahtnut said:

I rely on having my newspapers ironed every morning before I read them.

I don't need an iron to read news on my laptop.

Which century is it you are living in?

[Lacessit]

My GF irons my clothes. I have never asked her to do it.

If she did not, I would just leave them un-ironed. Clean is more important.

[Walker88]

Goodness, I've wandered into the La Brea Tar Pits....full of dinosaurs!

 

The article, as far from 'news' as can be, may be about Thailand, but in the larger scheme of things, the world has changed. Iron your own damn clothes. Tiger Woods, even when he was married and was worth hundreds of $millions, ironed his outfit before stepping out on the golf course.

 

Here's the new reality: in the US, women age 21-30 now earn more than males age 21-30. Female university graduates are pushing 60% of all graduates, and will likely top that number next year. More never-married women own houses in the US than never-married men. 40% of US males under age 35 live with their parents. If men were supposed to be 'success objects', allowing them to have expectations of what a female brings to a relationship, US men are failing miserably.

 

When avenues for advancement opened up for Western women, they hit the road running. Too many males, feeling entitled simply because they had a Johnson, sat on the laurels and have been overtaken in terms of success by women.

 

So many Western males have become losers, offer women nothing, yet expect women to kowtow to them and their desires.

 

Guys, up your game, clean yourself up, hit the gym, study, develop some social skills---and the world is your oyster, better than ever.

 

Here's a secret: guys who are successful, fit, neat and clean, who do more than watch porn, get tatted, and play video games, have never had it better. Guys fitting that description are maybe 10% of the male population. They are sought-after partners by maybe 80% of the female population.  Plenty of choice for them, plenty of partners. There's even a term for them: Porsche Polygamists. (For the alliteration...though it might have been Lambo Lotharios.....the left out males might be F-150 Fappers)

 

Guys who cannot achieve, pine for the days when simply having a Y chromosome afforded guys a host of benefits. Now that young women---at least in the US---are on average more successful than their male peers, those with a Y chromosome have to earn their benefits, whether that is sex or having someone be kind enough to do some chores for them.

 

Oh, and the concept of Porsche Polygamy travels well internationally...even to Thailand. Fat old guys on a meager pension are no longer the 'catch' they were when Thailand was an economic backwater. The La Brea Tar Pits is no place to be.

[billd766]

12 hours ago, VinnieK said:

I bet she doesn't even know how to do it.

Most under-30s cannot even boil water.

 

 

 

So what is the problem?

 

I have been ironing my own clothes and uniforms since I was 15.

 

I can do my own laundry, cook for myself, clean the house etc.

 

I say good for the wife. She works 4 days a week and I don't suppose that her mother in law would turn down any money offered.

 

The MIL IS the problem.

 

I used to scrub the dirt off my sons white school shirts and socks shirts after their overnight soaking, pit the laundry in the machine then take him and the neighbours daughter to school. My wife got up later and did the household chores, cooking, gardening etc.

 

A reasonable sharing of the work load.

[connda]

10 hours ago, ravip said:

No Money, No Honey!

[RobU]

6 hours ago, Olav Seglem said:

Maybe she should get a new mother in law and what goes with it.

Normally a husband would "set his mother right" if she bullies his wife :-)

 

Thailand is not the west. The cultural norm is that the bride is adopted into the husband's family after sinsod has been given to her family as payment for her upbringing. She is then considered to be a junior daughter of the household with her mother in law as the senior woman who allocates her tasks. Of course this tradition does not take account of the modern working woman. The Thai husband traditionally does not interfere. Many Thai mother in law's and mothers are lazy and expect to be served by the family and can be very domineering, this mother in law seems typical of that stereotype. My wife's brother broke the mould and kicked his mother out when she tried to assert dominance over his wife, but that is not common here. The rest of the family stopped speaking to him. (The eldest son is expected to take his mother into his household when his father dies or leaves). She spent some time with us and tried to dominate our household, I stopped her short and thankfully she left in a huff. The wife's mother in law or mother also expects financial support from the family, my wife used to give her mother 4000 baht each month and her mother would give it away to her favourite niece's and nephews (at the time my wife's guaranteed monthly income was 4000 baht per month she made her money in tips). It's a dominance tradition that worked in the distant past but Thai's are often reluctant to drop traditions, this woman is complaining on the internet because she can't complain at home, even though she works she is still trapped by tradition

[ravip]

48 minutes ago, connda said:

No Money, No Honey!

Grandpa giving pocket money for the 2 grand daughters?