As working women, we are demanding menstrual leave. While we do have the opportunity for maternity leave, sick leave, and casual leaves at the workplace, it's integral to not forget those who are working around the clock - the homemakers. What about homemakers? Well, their work is equally taxing, but everything they do is unpaid labour. Seldom do they receive any form of support or appreciation, but don't they deserve more for the unparalleled contribution they make?
Remember a video of a woman cooking while being supported by an oxygen cylinder that went viral during the COVID-19 pandemic? That video is a precise example of the lives of homemakers, "glorified slaves for life." With only 32% of married women in the workforce, the majority of Indian women are homemakers. It's it high time to hear out the concerns of these women?
Here are some homemakers sharing with us what they wish for from this women’s day.
What Homemakers Want For Womens Day
"All I need is for my people to stop saying, 'Woh sirf ek housewife hain!' It’s very hurtful and feels like my own family is trivialising everything that I do. I left my career and chose to be a homemaker out of my own free will. But constant criticisms and so-called jokes from my spouse are hurtful," said Sahana, a homemaker who chose to stay at home to take care of her son.
What does she want? Respect
Viji, a stay-at-home mother of two said, "I’m a stay-at-home mother, and I left my career because one of my children is neurodivergent and he needs my presence. I have a name-sake bank account, and my husband debits the money needed for household expenses. For anything other than that, I go ask him for money, and that makes me feel very submissive."
What does she want? Financial Independence
“If my partner wakes up before me, he won’t even make coffee. Even if I woke up 2-3 hours after him, he would have just binged on some cookies and will be waiting for me to cook him proper food. Why is it so difficult for him to get into the kitchen and make toast and coffee at the very least?” said Kriti, an IT employee turned homemaker.
What does she want? For men to realise that cooking is a survival skill and not a gender role.
Sindhu, a stay-at-home toddler mother said, “My husband has been working from home since the pandemic. Yet he doesn’t take care of the child even when he’s free. All he wants to do is watch a cricket match or go out with friends and relax because he has been "working hard" and he wants to reboot from "work stress." Am I not doing any work at home? I single-handedly look after a toddler while doing all the domestic chores. Isn’t that hard work? Why can’t he do the bare minimum of taking care of the child instead of watching Netflix?”
What does she want? Shared household and parenting responsibilities
"Every time I tell my partner that I want to go meet my friends, do some artwork, which I love, or just catch up on a web series, he asks me why I need me time when I’m a homemaker who has all the time in the world." How does that even make sense? I monotonously do all the household responsibilities and take care of our kid. Don’t I deserve a tiny break every day to recharge myself?” says Lavanya, a stay-at-home mother.
What does she want? Me-time
Krithika, a former IT employee and stay-at-home mom said, “No matter how sick I got during my pregnancy, postpartum, and now during my periods (I have a heavy flow and painful cramps), my in-laws and husband demand that I cook them varieties of dishes for every meal. They disregarded my sickness as a normal woman’s issue that I needed to learn to tolerate. Don’t I deserve a couple of days off when I'm sick just because I don’t have a professional career?”
What does she want? Sick leave
Are the bodies of homemakers bestowed with special powers that help them to function continuously without breaks? Aren’t they normal human beings like everyone else? A woman’s choice to stay at home doesn’t make her any less than a woman who chooses to pursue a career. Can we please stop taking them for granted? Whether a homemaker or working professional, doesn't every woman deserve to be respected, appreciated, supported, and cared for?
Suggested Reading: Being A Homemaker Is Not Easy. But Then Why Don’t They Get Much Respect?
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