Refreshing!

I saw something the other day on an info-mercial, for "Orgreenic" cookware (don't ask), and it really made me think. Pretty much every commercial that comes to mind, when portraying cooking, or cleaning, or any other household chore, usually chooses to show a woman doing all the work. Women are usually the "homemakers," they are the ones "taking care of everything" around the house and involving the children, and it's very rare that the man of the house is shown in this role. Men are usually shown coming home wearing a suit and a loosened tie, showing their hard day at work as bread-winners.

In the info-mercial there was a testimonial being given by someone that was pleased with their purchase of the product. The person was raving about how the product made cooking easier, cleaner, blah, blah, blah. The interesting thing, however, was that the person was a man. He was gawking over the fact that the cookware helped him to "cook healthier for his three kids," and he was raving about how the cookware made his "job" easier. His JOB! There was even a video of the man cooking and serving dinner to his kids while the wife was hanging out in the background watching. Could it be possible that the man was a stay-at-home dad?

I think it really takes something like this to show how much of a role patriarchal assumptions still play in today's world. Even with the status of women being raised higher than it has ever been, why is it that it's still uncommon, and even down-right weird, to see a man shown as the stay-at-home parent? Is it still so unbelievable that the woman has left the kitchen? This makes me wonder how long it will be before it's no longer "weird" to see more dad's fulfilling stay-at-home roles while their wives are out working.