- making jewellery and selling it through an Etsy shop.
- creating handcrafted creations of all kinds and selling them online.
- creating Pressed flower cards and art on handmade paper.
- selling CD racks, cabinets and furniture through an eBay store.
Mrs. Proverbs 31 had to get up early and get her family organised so she could go out and do her thing. I don't think that running a home based craft businesses is any closer to Proverbs 31 territory than dentistry or teaching or shopkeeping. What do you think? Am I right or am I just trying to justify my own work outside our home (and my hate of craft)?
What work do you do? Oh, teach, right?
ReplyDeleteI agree that the pre-industrial context of Prov 31 was one in which the world of work and the domestic sphere had a much bigger overlap than in our world. That means the income generating activities of the Prov 31 woman were hardly 'hobbies' used to generate a little money.
ReplyDeleteBUT I don't get the feeling from Prov 31 that the woman described had a daily commute to her property tycoon activities and textile industry ventures! There does seem to be something quite seamless about the integration of her life and her ability to be much much more than an income source for her husband and children and community.
Home-based business (and ministry) activities are probably not exactly the same economic and cultural phenomenon as the work of the Prov 31 woman. But I do think that they frequently provide an opportunity for women (especially with young children) to emulate the priorities of her life more effectively than most salaried work outside the home does.
Having said that, I've got no plans of setting up a home-made jewellery business in the foreseeable future - and I may well find myself back in some kind of (part time?) paid job one day as the kids get older.
I probably average one day a week supply teaching. It's 9am-3pm, no prep, no mop-up, while the kids are at school. I don't have a problem with it. My blog has much more potential to pull me away from my husband and kids and I do that from home!
ReplyDeleteBut I think that all paid work interferes with our families to some extent (so does everything we do). I am more tired on weeks when I teach a couple of days and do have less energy for my family and church. But if I had a home based business I think it would be much the same - it would always be on my mind, I'd be checking for sales, sending off orders etc.
I'm not overly convinced of the difference between in-house and out of house work. Of course, when you have little ones that you don't want to send to day care it's different, but those years pass quickly (too quickly!)
Hi Simone,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you! What I was trying to say was just that there are jobs and then there are jobs!
Whether the work happens at home is not the only variable but I think it's one factor that could make quite a difference to the shape of family life. So I do still think that there can be a world of difference between a home based business and a busy dental practice (which probably earns more income, but takes you much more out of the life of your family). These were decisions I had think through when I finished my law degree and decided what work I would take on as a pastors wife (even before I had kids).
And as the daughter of 2 teachers, I think that teaching is one of those jobs that can work really well when there's school aged kids in the family - I wish I had chosen teaching instead of law actually!
Nicole, I'm sure we agree on this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments.
I just hate craft! Maybe if Tim Challies had put down blogging as a business I might have responded differently. Why don't you put some pretty google ads on you site and we can click on them to earn you money?
I think we agree on it too!!
ReplyDeleteAnd to be honest I reacted to Challies' post for similar reasons too. While I don't mind doing some crafts in my spare time I can't imagine running a small business from home. Even just selling a few second hand kids clothes on ebay a couple of years ago almost did my head in!
The whole Prov 31 woman / working issue has been on my mind a lot lately (again!), so it was good to think it through a bit more. Thanks for raising such a good discussion topic!
I just hate craft! Maybe if Tim Challies had put down blogging as a business I might have responded differently.
ReplyDeleteDid you read the comments? Many of the women have set up home-based proof-reading, editing and graphic design services. That was the initial thing that struck me, actually, more so than the hand-made craft stuff.
you're right. interesting.
ReplyDeleteWhy should you have to justify your supply teaching if a male with children doesn't have to justify his paid work outside the home?
ReplyDeletePersonally I love craft and would love to make a living from it but to do that I have to be better at marketing.