tt t{ik lntermediate Topics

Hou§€&{,§*.rd*

Hungarian English
HOU§EHUSBANDS
Equivalent pronunciation

í Who is married to the house? Wife, husband, or

neithen

r dolgozik, állást vállal . |géU aut te 'ws:k * ln .most cases both husband and wife _oo ouí ío work so
neither of them stavs at home to look after the children and
r háztartást vezet o kip baus keep house

r karrier-cél . keha gaul > Thev both have career qoa/s, want to succeed in the
r munkával / állással .'d3pb workplace and enjoy job satisfaction.
ualó elégedettség setrs,fekÍan
r 3azdasági o i:ke,nomrk full of
saükségszerűség na'sesrti economic necessitv. Their husband's
r elégte|en, nem o ,rnsé'fiIant to supporl the family.
elegendó
r aonglőrködik, . 'd3,rgal
tsszeegyeztet

r :sztozik a felelós- . Jea Although many fathers today share responsibility for
sÉgben nsponsabrlati children and housework, the 'New Age Man', who after
r xztességgel . 'du: .-,fee Tee
work does his fair share; what's more, the lion's share of
negteszi a magáét
l:toszlánrész . 'laranz Jea domestic tasks, is still a vuín hope, u pie in the sky.
l ,rrl ábránd . ,vern heup Studies suggest that working women spend triple the
l Éoronyóra lánccal" . a Bar n öa 'skat amount of time on domestic tasks than working men do.
l -áromszoros . 'trrpal The 'double burden'is more burdensome for wives than
r tátös teher o ,dabal bs:dn
for husbands.
r regterhelő o be:rlnsam
On the other hand, interestingly enough, surveys also
r ,*ez, mutat o 'rndrkert indicate that many working women find housework
r yogyító hatású o ,Oere'pju:trk
l o ,streslz an
'therapeutic'. Tidying helps them relieve the stresses and
roblémák és
lst,etnz strains of the workplace. The sight of a_ home which is
3ondok
r nakulátlanul tiszta o ,splk an'spen spick and span makes them proud and gives them
l },.gake o praud satisfaction, a sense of achievement.
r piesítménytudat . rsens ov
atIi:vmant

,r rr6ició, becsvágy o embrÍen

* merlegelés, . ke&srda'rerÍen
megfontolás
e ralÉsi . n'lrd3as

r ne§ítéI, tekint o {u: r Homemaking ls viewed as the most nafural female role.
r aa*ádi tűzhely, . ,ho:O an heum Looking after hearth and home is the only profession that
ufr:ron és család
women are cut out for. The husband is seen as the head of
- @Tnett, neki való, o bi kat,aut fa
wtezálló the household, breudwinner, provider, decision-maker.
e*yÉrkereső . breówna
1m,,cxxkodó, ellátó . praVarda > Brinqinq .9p children qives the qreatest meaninq to manv
Women's lives.

69
Househusbands Exam-Fright Kill€l

r They jind happiness and personal fuffiIment in looking o ,fand -. o beteljesülést, megr
after their children and husband, promoting family ful'filnentrn valósu|ást talál
stability and ranning a household efficiently. r pra'méut o elősegít, előmozdít
. lr^n a baushauld o háztartást vezet
> Financial considerations also plav a part in the decision,

r If the wife earns a low pay, it is perfectly reasonable for . |3:n e ,lau'per o keveset keres
her to give up her job and stay at home. Otherwise, nearly
all her income would be spent on childminders and day . tÍarld,marndE o pótmama
nurseries. . 'der,ne:seri o bölcsőde

r A lot of women who stay at home for financial reasons

won't remain housewives for the rest of their lives. when
their children are of school age, they often return to paid
work.

lt Traditional spousaí roles are slowlv chanqing. Nowadavs a e ,spaozel tao|z o házastársi szerepel
growinq number of men opí to stay at home as full-tlme . Dpt o választ
fathers. A dad playing with a toddler in the playground on a .'bdla o ,,to§li", kisgyerek
sunny workday morning is not an uncommon sight any longer.

2 Why do husbanda opű ottt oíthe worlrplace? o 'Dpt,aut av o kilép, otthagyja

* Finances and personalitv explain chiefly whv husband and

wife mav decide to swap traditional roles. o §WDP o felcserél

The husband gefs d,bmissed and can hardlv find a saíisfacíory o get drs'mrst o elbocsátják
new iob. o ,satrs'felíeri o megfelelő, kielegí!ó

lt makes economrc sense for the husband to stav at home. o melk i:ka,nomrk o gazdasági szem-
's€,n§ pontból ésszerű
r His wife is better able to support the family, because she o sapcí öa o családot eltart
druws a higher salary. She has much better prospects fot 'femali
moving up the career ladder, and she finds satisfaction in . 'drc: e ,hara o nagyobb a fizetésg
herjob. 'selari többet keres
r'pmspekt o kilátás, remény
As his iob is too stressful. too demandtn.q, too frustratinq, the . ka'na,lirda o karrier-létra
husband needs a change. o dr'mondrg e megerőltető

r He isn't career orientated or driven to success. He lacks o bi ,dnvan ta o sikerhajhász

ambition to workhis way up, thtolgh working long hours sek'ses
o ,w3* -,'wet,rtp o felküzdi magát
in an office.

He wants to plav an active role in his children's upbrlnqrng and o 'rrp,bngrj o felnevelés
forge a súronq bondwith them. . '1'c:d3 a,sto0 o erős kapcsolatot
bpnd teremt
l He is cut out to be a stay-at-home dad, as he js convinced o bi ken'vtnst o biztos benne, meg
that raising kids is a most valuable and rewarding task. van győződve róla
. n'wc:dtg o érdemes, kifizetőő
Looking after his children and seeing them progressing
give him a gíeat sense of achievement. His career
opportunities can't compare with the experience of
o hab o középpont
becoming the hub of his kids' universe.

7o
:Killer lntermediate Topics
Househusbands

meg, What dlfíiculties are househusbands Iike§l to

laca?
ál
nozdít
zet
o testi, fizikai o 'fizrkal
o ézelmi . r'meuJenel
o lélektani, lelki o ,sarke'lodzlkal
r nehézség, . ho:dÍrp "
viszontagság > Hou§ework is phvsically demandinq. Although labour-savíng
o háztartási gép o 'lerba ,§elvlo devices ease the burden of domestíc tasks, cieaning, washin§,
dr'vars cooking and ironing are still tíme consuming, exháusting aű
o háztartási munka o da,mestrk'ta:sk monotonous chores at times.
r időrabló, időigényes . 'tarm
kan sju:mrg > D.ay.to.dav childca!,e, in itself. is a demandinq iob, Satisfying
. egyhangú / monolon . ma,nptanas tlc: children's physical, emotional and, íntellectaal needs is órtei
házimunka stressful and takes a lot out of you.
o eleget tesz, kielégít o '§afisfat

aerepek
l szellemi r ,nta'lektÍual
r sokat kivesz belőle o ,telk a'lpt aut av
r probléma, kimerülés o dt'stres
ryerek r függ, rá van ula|va . dr'pendant on r As it is unpaid work, the husband becomes dependent on
r súlyos csapás . stvla blau te his wife's eamings, which may be a severe blow to hls
sense ofindependence.
r társadalmi . ,sauJal Full-time childcare goes with social isolation. Stay-at-
elszigeteltség ,arsa'lerían
r valahová tartozás . aY
home dads lose adult contacts and miss áautt
gyja lsen§ie
étzése/ tudata br'lojrj conversation. They lack the sense of belonging and
r szoktatás, . kan'dilanr! participation provided in the workplace.
kondicionálás As social conditíoning is hard to alter, househusbands a:;
r módosít, o 'c:lta
influenced by their own mindset, and, they are under ,:;
megváltoztat
r felfogás, nézet o'marndset plessure of public opinion, The general opinion is tha: ::,;
k
o gondozó, nevelő . hs:tÍeng nurturing role is in conflict with the ideas of rnas culixim-
kielégíS r férfiasság r ,mes\iu'lrnati As a result, male homemakers may befrowned upon-
r helytelenít, rosszall . ,fratm a'pnn
§zem-
szerú
,{tart 4 A day in the llfe of tr Househusband
t fizetése
€s r igazgatóhelyettes o ,depjuti hed
mény
ra r locsi.íecsi .'tÍetabnls
;tó r első osztályos o ,fs:st'grerd

ász > Morninqs

nagát
r
.
vizet íorral o put öa'ketl ,pn r Mickey puts the kettle on for a morning ;;
",i i!§ü rn
megteríti az asztalt o ,ler öa 'terbel
coffee and lays the tubte for breakfast. He .:l_*y M.nmm
s and Jill up and packs lunchboxes for theni, li: y nrr ;,,Jl u
!solatct get into her uniform and manages to fish !í
_1:|:É-fo ;ra* .&,

drawing, out from under the bed.

nne, n€ r While the family are having breakfast b.
lódve rúh r pelenka -,p,r..$ frE :*J$
and changes Jack's dirty nappy.
, kifiz€t§.ó
r When the girls go off to work Minnie
- =bx . ,, .-r,: s;:l,:r;i
- he gives Jack something to eat and dn:i
nt r He quickly tidies the rooms. He pir-
".aa*. uclr",_ s:::
tOys, toy cars, building blocks *j =.,;r*jes is .:t:s
the washing machine.

71
Househusbands Exam-Fright Kitler

He has no time to clean the sink, the tub or the toilet,

because Jack wants to play hide and seell Dad, enjoys o ,hard en'si:k o bújócska
seeing and hearing his kid screaming with joy.
When Jack gets tired, Mickey vacuums the carpets, damp- o 'demp d,rst r nedves ruhával
dusts the wooden floor, dusts the furniture and tries to feltöröl
o d,rSt e port töröl, leporol
remove a nasty coke stain from the carpet, in vain.
. stern r folt, pecsét
Sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor can wait till . m'veul o hiába
later, because Jack seems ready for toilet training. He . swi:p o söpör
spends a quafter of an hour sitting on his musical potty. o rnDP o íelmos
Mickey acknowledges the result with a big smile and o ,mju:zkel 'poti o zenélő bili
praising words. . ak'nnlrd3 o elismer, nyugtaz
o 'prerzrg o dicsérő
It's time to go shopping for some bread, milk and
vegetables. He dresses Jack for the outing, buckles him in o b,rkel o becsatol, beszíjaz
the pushchair equipped with a shopping basket, and they .'pultJea o spoÉ babakocsi
head for the nearest supetmarket. There Jack throws a o hed fa o tTl€9y, igyekszik
o ,Orao e'trntram o hisztizik, düh.
tantrum, because he can't have five bars of chocolate.
rohamot kap
Back home, Mickey tries hard to have Jack eat his lunch.
Jack is a picky eater, fussy about all sorts of food, He r Brki'i:te r válogatós, finnyás
spits out the carrots and scatters the peas over the kitchen, o 'frrsi a,baut o kényes, nyűgös
but does have some chips, a slice oí cheese and a little . 'sprt aut o kiköp
milk. o 'skata o szétdobál, szétszor

Afternoons

l Jack's aftemoon nap is a golden opporlunity for Mickey o szunyókálás

to tidy the kitchen, pre-prepare dinner, dry and fold tbe o összehajtogat
laundry. Then he uses the telly as a babysitter, because he
badly needs to get some rest.
r When the caftoon is over, they go to the school and wait
to pick up Jill. Jill is brimmíng with joy. She cuddles and o ,bnmwrö'd3cr o örömtől ragyog,
kisses daddy - her drawing of 'Your Family' was superb. örömmámorban
l On their way home they stop at the playground. They play o 'k rdl r
úszik
megölel
a little on the climbing frame, tlte seesaw and the swings. o 'Harmrg frerm o mászóka
Unforhrnateiy, Jack falls down and bruises his knee. He . '§i:sc: o mérleghinta, libikóka
starts crying, and his tears muke dad's heart lurch. They o §Wr! o hinta
hurry home. Mickey treuts the injury - luckily, nothing l bra:z r felhorzsol
serious - and treats the kids lo some snacks and drinks. rhs o könny
. 'melk...,hq:t o összefacsarodik i
r He starts making a delicious, well-balanced dinner. While 'ls:tí összeszorul a szíve
the food is cooking, he takes out the rubbish, rubs a o ,trií ör'nd3ari o ellátja a sebeti
crayon drawing off the wall and sets the table. The sérülést
vegetables turn out a bit watery; the beef a \ittle overdone, o tri:t -.te o kínál, megvendégel
o ,wel belanst o kiegyensúlyozott
because the kids síaftfighting over Iill's brand-new doll.
. Xrrerpn o zsírkréta
He has to arbitrate between them and persuade them to o,euvé'dÁn o túlsütött
make peace. r 'fatt,atrya o veszekedik
l He has no time to shave, but he manages to take off his . ,brend'nju: o vadonatúj
upron before his wife enters - tired, nervy andhungry. o 'o:brtrert o bíráskodik
r 'etpran o kötény
. he;vi r ideges
Eveninqs

r During and after dinner the children monopolise their r nn6'g9p3|alz o kisajátít
mother, Sitting on her lap, Jack tells her about his day, . l&p oöl
constantly interrupted by Jill, who badly needs help with o ,mtetapt o íélbeszakít
her homework.

72
 lntermediate Topics |ry
Meanwhile, Mickey clears the table, eírycrüÉüb
dishwasher and loads it again. Then he plays a űtrryu]J&í.
game with the kids, while Minnie is writing a shcln **-
r tornaterem o d3rmherziam for tomorrow's opening ceremony of the newgl.nacsúr.
o csatatér, vitaforrás o betlfi:ld Soon it's bathtime and bedtime - a real battlefreld- iz;i
rarely wants to take a bath, but, if he does- he :s
e e|szánt, eltökélt o drts:mlnd determined*to lie in for hours and refuses to get out. Jiin ir
r nem hajlandó, o n'fiu:z reluctant to go to bed and finds all sorts of exczse§ to síílv
megtagad
o kelletlen, vonakodik o bi n'laktant up. Tonight Minnie wilrl tuck the kids up and rű
o kifogás, ürügy o *'skiu:s 'Cinderella'or 'Harr1, Potter' to them.
o betakargat o tak...lp Mickey feels too worn oat to go to thepub. He fetches a
o Hamupipőke o ,sndatela can of beer from the fridge to help him think over hou- to
o halálosan kimerült o 'wcn,atrt
o rendez o
spend the rest of the evening. Shall he soft out b1llsl
'sc;t aut
r sütő .'^ven Clean the oven? Sew on some buttons? Finally, he make_<
up his mind to iron Minnie's blouses and some of his
shirts while watching a Premier League football match on
television.
rffi Then - good night, Mickey. Sweet dreams.

5 What does the future hoId?

e elórejelzés, jóslat . pn'drkían The foIlowinq predrcírons are frequentlv made about the
future of homemakinq.

a köáelíogás oBopjular a'prnjen > popular oplnion is believed to chanqe slowlv

but surelv,
l A growing number of people will probably recognise that
r női kiváltság, kizá. o ,fi:merl pn'zoí homemaking is not a female preserve, because childcare
rolagosan női terület
and housework are neitber feminine nor masculine. The
r nónemű o'femgnrn
r iiímnemű o?meskillrn only thing that counts is that they must be done.
r rnagasabb társadal- o 'gem a üara > Homemakinq is hoped to ga,n a hroher socía' sfaíus.
rni rangra tesz szert 'sauÍal ,stertas
r Pétiállam o ,welfealstett r As it is a vitally important task, the welfare state is
expected to turn it into a reasonably paid job.
> The number of stav-at-home dads is predicted to qrow,
t l They are likely to set up their own clubs and form their
l§olrt
r egyesület . at§au§lleilén own associations. As soon as they become powerful
l
!
dbmerést kivív . wn,rekag'nrían enough, they will certainly win more recognition for
rieF. childcare and housekeeping. When it happens,
!§É r negfelelő, alkalmas . a'pret4nat homemaking will definitely become an appropriate role
and job for mothers and fathers alike.

* what to do untilthese predictions come true?

r *eámolja az értékét
rat
o,ke§ulertöa r If we calculate the value of these unpaid jobs
- the wages
'valju: of a nanny, cook, cleaner, teacher, chauffeur - the
combined total will add up to large sums of money.
übftos o'werti Consequently, a homemaker does a socially and
l rn{tó, érdemleges o'we:ói financially weighty andworthy job.

73
Househusbands Exam-Fright

Let's admií that childcare and housekeepinq are shared o elismer, bevall
responsibilities.
r They should be shared more equally between husband and
wife, especially if both parents work part-time or full-
time. According to statistics, the average woman between o a,kc:dr0 ta o statisztikák szerií
the ages of 18 and 80 spends nine years and nearly tfuee §üa'ü§bk§
months doing domestic chores. The average man devotes o drVatyt o szentel
only one third of this time to domestic tasks. It doesn't
sound fair.
Let's geí rrd of the words 'housewife'. 'househusband'. o get hd av o megszabadul
r They are widely regarded as outduted, insulting, evert o ,aut'derüd
o m'srrlü0
o idejétmúlt
o sértő
sexist labels. Both male and female homemakers suggest
r'lerbal o elnevezés, címle
more up-to-date and less biased, gender-neutral tetms, o barest o elfogult
such as 'home executive', 'house manager', 'home o ,d3enda'njuíral o nem-semleges
administrator','full-time parent','domestic engineer', r nilpled3rst o nyelvújító
'Executive Officer (Exec)'. o kcrn o új szót alkot
r Pick and choose one to use, or become a neologist and
o t3:m
o,prameri
o kifejezés
o elsődleges
coin your own term for the 'primury caregiver'. kea,grva gondviselő

HouSEHU§BAND§ - lN A ]{UTSHELL

> lf both husband and wife have part-time or full.time iobs, neither parent
stavs at home.
l Housework and children's upbringing are responsibilities shared by
both parents, after normal working hours. They employ a nanny or a
childminder to look after the children, or the kids are cared for in
day nurseries while parents are at work.
r Both parents' staying in paid employment is explained by career
goals: they both want to enjoy job satisfaction; and by economic
necessity: one income is not enough to supporl the family.
r In families with both parents working, it is still the mother who
shoulders most burdens of the osecond shift'. The .New Age Man',
who does his fair share, is women's wishful thinking rather than
reality.

a need to fulfil the traditional female role of being a homemaker and

nurturer (social conditioning) ;
genuine personal fulfilment is found in childcare, housekeeping and
husband maintenance,
low pay makes it unreasonable for women to work outside the home.
t Killer lntermediate Topics
Househusb*

> Reasons whv a husband mav become a stav-at-home dad:

r He gets unemployed and has difficulty re-entering the job market.
l His wife makes more money and has better career prospects.
r It is a relief to give up a stressful, frustrating job.
r He finds it well worthwhile to care for his children full-time.
> Househusbands often face phvsical and psvcholoqical hardship.
l Domestic chores are time consuming, exhausting and monotonous.
l Day-to-day childcare is a demanding task.
mke
I A variety of psychological problems may be caused by loss of
financial independence, social isolation, discrepancy between a
traditionally female role and the ideas of mascúlinit}, demeaning
public opinion.

* A homemaker has to perform a wide varietv of tasks,

> lndoor chores: preparing and serving food (breakfast, packed lunch,
dinner, snacks); doing the washing-up, doing the laundry, cleaning thó
bathroom; tidying and cleaning the rooms (vacuumirrg tlr" cafiets,
dusting the furniture, sweeping, scrubbing, mopping anotamp-austin!
floors).
> outdoor chores: doing the shopping; paying cheques, doing some
gardening; clearing snow from the driveway; DIY (do-it-yourself1.
> Childcare: Providing for children's physical, emotional and intellectual
needs, e.g. feeding and dressing the kids; giving them a bath; playing
games with them; treating their minor injuries; teaching them about
the
world; taking them to school and picking them up; helping them with
their homework, developing their skills and p".ronuliti"..

* The future of homemakinq

> Housekeeping and childcare are complex, demanding tasks. They

."
> Bringing up children in a tidy environment is one of the most
resPonsible tu.k:. So.',.l!.horld th. fin.n.i.l ,nd .o.i.l ur|u.
'..oqni..
of childcare and- unpaid housework. Th. .oiiul stuto. of homemaking
should be raised through providing families with higher benefits,
o-r
even fuming it into a job which entitles homemakers io receive
health
insurance and pension.

female preserve. Women have already *on the right to work outside
the
home. Likewise, men should get more popular support and
encouragement to stay at home. Otherwise, the whole business
will
smell of sex discrimination! o
> As is the case with the terms 'housewife' and'househusband'. Let's
use
synonyms for them and leJ's hope that children wilt qet even better
care,

75