Thoughts # Head of Household

I’ve been questioning some of the things I think. Topics which are usually taken for granted but are actually not. I’m an Indian. And while this immediately causes some people to generalise me as a Male Chauvinist interested in only Bobs and Vagene. I can’t help but wonder why is this the image of Indian men in particular.

But I digress.

I was thinking about various topics the first of which started from a seemingly simple question I read on a pseudo-personality test: “Do you think men should be the heads of household?”

The answers were an MCQ in Yes or No. So I started wondering what the actual answer to this question was. What exactly is a “Head of the Household”? As one of the 21st Century Internet-addicted guy I took to Google to search the definition of this term and what I came across was this:

Vocabulary.com defined it as “a person who is in charge. The Patriarch or Matriach”

Yourdictionary.com defined it as “the person responsible for governing a group that lives together such as a family”

The question the arose here was what makes a Head a Head? (I’m not ashamed to admit the repetition made me laugh)

In my family, as the sole bread earner I suppose my father is the head of the household. He is also the eldest age-wise making him the most experienced person. But any household decisions are made by my mother. So doesn’t that make her the Head?

And why does a household truly need a head? Parents as a unit are responsible for raising their kids so that can’t be the reason. Any important decisions are usually a joint decision so that can’t be it either. I suppose from a legal point of view I can see the necessity but from a social viewpoint the need escapes me.

Maybe it’s just because I’m not old or experienced enough to realise the need or requirement. Perhaps age shall grant me wisdom as to who and why the Head should be. Or perhaps its just one of those social nuances that I managed to ignore learning in my absent mindedness.

Either way I think the answer to the question was simpler and yet more complicated than a yes or no. The head of the household should be anyone who is competent enough to fit the role.