By Pearl Tiwari
Despite huge efforts to educate and empower girls, along with an increase in young working women, more and more married women are being held back in life – suppressed, unable to pursue fulfilling opportunities and saddled by the burden of trying to juggle home, children and work.
The Need to Extend Investment in Women
The time has come to expand the way in which we invest in women. It is no longer enough to invest in girl child education, if we as a society are not willing to follow through. Whilst young girls are pursuing higher education and even skill training, it all comes to a grinding halt when a woman reaches marriageable age. All too often we hear of a woman, who once worked, dropping out of the labourforce, once she marries or bears a child.
Unleashing Potential: Beyond Education and Training
We must capitalize on our ‘formal investments’ in education and training, by investing in ways to free her of the domestic burdens that hold her back in life. Frankly, the men in India need to step up, and bear some of the domestic load to free up our women. With 3 out of every 4 Indian women not working outside the home, we cannot ignore the primary culprit – the disproportionate amount of unpaid care work and domestic responsibilities saddled upon their shoulders.
Tackling Gender Norms and Stereotypes
In fact, in India, women spend as much as 352 minutes per day on unpaid domestic work which is 577% more than men, who spend approximately just 52 minutes. Even the UN agrees that household duties are the primary barrier to women’s participation in the workforce.
Sadly, the traditional gender norm that ‘men work outside and women take care of the housework’ is embedded in society’s thinking and practices. It is a root cause of gender inequality because gender stereotypes are expressed both at the individual and subsequently, at the institutional level where polices are developed.
Government’s Role in Facilitating Change
As such, it’s time for the Government to step up on this front also. Countries across the globe are compelled to provide the necessary supporting social services to enable parents to combine family obligations with work responsibilities and participation in public life – in particular by promoting the establishment and development of a network of child-care facilities. If the government is serious about encouraging women into the workforce, day care facilities need to be setup or incentivized within the private sector, to support women and prevent them from leaving workplaces to manage their babies. Such facilities would make it easier for women to balance responsibilities between both home and work.
Unveiling the Invisible: Recognizing Unpaid Care Work
Unfortunately, unpaid care work and domestic work remain ‘invisible,’ despite their significance as the foundation of economic activities. This contribution is sadly undervalued; which perhaps explains its neglect in public policies.
But society, economy and nation as a whole have so much to gain on this front. For women hold immense power – to create positive change in their families and communities, to contribute financially and to forge their own path in life. That power is unlocked by her ability to pursue opportunities outside the home, earn her own income and stand on her own two feet.
By being denied that power, she is held back in life, and everybody loses out as a result.
About the Author
Pearl Tiwari, Director and CEO, Ambuja Foundation
