Have you ever noticed how crafting is so very limited to females, for the most part? My suspicion is that this is because of the patriarchy. For centuries, men did all of the manual labor leaving their wives at home to raise the children. But what could these women do with their time while their babies slept in their clean homes? Lace-making! Knitting! Sewing! Quilting! There were so many crafting options for these women.
Now certainly part of this was some condescending misogynist bullshit because men wanted to trap their women in the home and give them little tasks to accomplish. This kept them busy in the house, stimulated enough to not be stepping out, and distracted them from what bastards their husbands probably were!
While this is certainly not my intention in crafting, I do respect the history of it and how it contributes to the limited and under-compensating career options for women. While part of me thinks that as a feminist I need to get out there, provide for myself, and show my kids that I can take care of us by working – the other part of me prefers being a stay-at-home mom, funded by my ex-husband-lawyer-earner, doing these things that make me happy.
Have I been indoctrinated by the idea that I should be at home? Yes. But I have also found a way to monetize this experience with the shop and I hope to continue having it both ways until my boys are out of the house.