It isn't that often we see Arab men siding with women; when it happens, we rub our eyes and check our ears, because it gets interesting.
Saudi writer Dr. Ahmed Al Arfaj excitedly, and what seemed wholehearted as well, said he believes housewives in the kingdom should be paid a salary.
His statements came during a televised appearance he made on Rotana Khalijiya's Ya Hala program. In one segment, the show's presenter handed Al Arfaj a bouquet of flowers and asked him to dedicate it to someone.
That's when the writer said: "I'd present this to the unknown soldiers, housewives. Every occupation has a union, whether it's for journalists, doctors, public service employees, engineers, all but housewives who are true soldiers."
"No one acknowledges them but if they're absent from the house everyone notices they're not there. In some countries, like Kuwait, housewives are paid a salary and I wish that this will become the case here. Teachers are paid a salary and honored, housewives deserve the same because they do work that truly isn't appreciated enough," he added.
At one point during the interview, Al Arfaj took off his watch in a bid to pay it forth to a housewife. He then went on to add that if all the women who work at home in the kingdom are paid just 2,000 riyals ($533) per month, it'll only cost the kingdom 12 billion riyals ($3.2 billion) per year.
"Even if they pay them 1,000 riyals, just in appreciation of all that they do," he stressed.
The writer's statement hit all the right notes with people around the kingdom, both men and women, prompting thousands to respond to his request.
Saudi housewives in specific agreed with Al Arfaj in that the work they do deserves both appreciation and pay.
"I am a housewife and I'd like to thank myself for all I do because no one else does."
Many Saudi women agreed with Al Arfaj and hoped his request would turn into reality soon. One female tweep wrote: "I wish such a decision would be announced soon." Another hailed the writer's statement, tweeting: "Thank you, hero."
For years, people in the kingdom have been calling on housewives or stay-at-home moms to be paid a salary for the work they do, especially since it often isn't appreciated and is seen as "their duty as women."
In a statement to StepFeed, Saudi social worker Lina explained why that is, saying:
"In Saudi [the kingdom] and countries across the region, traditional gender roles still apply and women are seen as responsible for most household chores and are therefore rarely appreciated for choosing to do things for their families."
"Paying a salary to housewives and even women who work outside of them [sic] home but still do most the housework will make everyone realize that the work they do isn't their responsibility by default just because they're women. It's a job they're taking on because men in their families have been raised not to take part in caring for a home and so they deserve to be paid for it," she added.
Lina thinks paying salaries to Saudi housewives should only be the start.
"In the coming months, the focus must be on changing these deep seated gender roles because our societies are changing and men must be willing to accept the same responsibility as a woman when it comes to housework, raising children and everything else," she explained.