Unveiling the invisible work: Housework

Traditionally, women have been expected to bear the brunt of housework for generations; housewives are excluded from the formal labor market and receive no monetary compensation. Even as society has developed beyond its period, this expectation remains profoundly ingrained and rigid, furthering inequality and stifling social development. This essay delves into the far-reaching effects of the unequal distribution of housework on individuals and society as a whole.

Reasons behind these gendered dynamics:

With the advent of the industrial revolution in the mid-1700s, there was an surge in demand for men as factory workers, compelling more women to stay at home. This perpetuated the prevailing gender paradigm at the time and formally established the phrase housewives, stay-at-home moms, or homemakers. While men engaged in paid work, the majority of women were charged with unpaid domestic duties. This rationale was further reinforced for young girls and women, who were expected to be natural homemakers and caregivers. Leaving women, the primary responsibility for the well-being of the family unit, with fewer prospects for advancement in their careers.

Over the last few decades, attitudes toward gender roles have shifted drastically; women’s rights are more pronounced, there is more support for women to work, attain education, follow unorthodox careers, compete for political office, and so on. However, at the home front little progress has been made, and women continue to pick up the most of the slack. The disparity in the amount of time men and women spend on housework is a source of contention; in wealthier countries, this gap is smaller, whereas in poorer countries, it appears to be expanding, with India, Mexico, Japan, and Mexico at the forefront. On average, women work 4.5 hours each day, which is more than double to that of men. According to The Economics 2020 poll, about 60% of Indian women aged 15 to 59 are involved in full-time housework. Whereas in India, women spend six hours a day doing household chores, while men work less than an hour.

Statistically, it has been established that men continue to dominate the paid work sphere, while women continue to make up the majority in the unpaid workforce. The balanced functioning of the household is recognized to be vital for societies to function properly, although the labor and time involved frequently go undetected. As stated in Simone de Beauvoir’s book The Second Sex states, “Few tasks are more like the torture of Sisyphus than housework.” It never ends; dishes washed today will be dirtied tomorrow, floors will be swept, shelves will be rearranged, and grocery trips will be indefinite. This cycle of cleaning, meal prep, and laundry continues; it is impossible to meet any genuine goals, and it comes with no incentives or recognition.

This identity of women as mere housewives is evolving over time since there are more dual-income households sprouting. Men and women share the collective obligation of becoming breadwinners in the household. However, when most women return home from work, they continue to shoulder additional responsibilities at home. This lockdown has revealed harsh realities and deeply ingrained preconceptions in the system; the majority of duties, such as cleaning, cooking, childcare, and grocery shopping, are still carried out by women, despite working equally or more than their male counterparts. Men were now expected to participate in family activities that had previously been overlooked in favor of professional obligations. A study has indicated that, while dividing housework amongst couples, women are engaged in more menial and time-intensive duties, whereas men are engaged in more episodic chores such as lawn mowing, appliance repair etc. Housework for men is considered a way to aid their wives rather than an added responsibility .

A well-managed home is still viewed as a gendered obligation. Few reasons exist for this unspoken worldview, including cultural roots in which a woman’s worth is still associated with her ability to nurture, create, and maintain a clean home for everyone but herself. Gender stereotypes persist to limit women’s roles in the professional front;it is estimated that women spend less time in the office on average than their male counterparts, reducing leverage for job advancements. Women prefer to take lower-paying jobs, hence expanding the gender wage gap. It is believed that women on average spend 60% of their income on expenses, such as employing a full-time babysitter and outsourcing home tasks. It puts a significant dent on their finances on dual-income households, and it is often women who make the difficult decision to quit their jobs.

Housework is also known as invisible work due to its repetitive, never-ending nature. Not only is it physically taxing but also causes psychological exhaustion. Due to the unequal allocation of work, meeting everyone’s needs and requests is mentally draining; due to leveled gendered expectations. It is widely noticed that these activities come at a price. Housewives are more likely to suffer from mental health conditions, such as depression. anxiety, and chronic stress. They tend to doubt their own worth as a result of a lack of autonomy in family matters, an inability to fully pursue their potential and dreams due to limited resources and financial reliance on their husbands, isolation from social interactions, and a lack of recognition and validation of the tasks. Working women have less time to spend with their children and on personal problems because of the lengthy shifts at work and the additional shift at home.

This has a cascade effect; not only does it damage her psychological well-being, but it also has far-reaching consequences such as strained interpersonal relationships, poor physical health, and stress. It has numerous rippling consequences; not only does it decrease the participation of women in the work force and affect the economy, it also affects gender pay parity and provides fewer prospects in career advancement.

Economic values:

To address these inequities, a comprehensive study of the economic value of housework is necessary,for certain policy interventions to promote a fair sharing of domestic tasks. In India, just 22% of women are active in the formal workforce, with 70% working in informal sectors such as construction and farming, which provide less social protection and security. Several studies and research  have sought to estimate the economic value of household labor. Its value is easily dismissed as invisible work, since it cannot be quantified as a contributor towards a nation’s GDP. This ignorance comes at a huge economic price. There are a few approaches for determining the economic value of housework:

1) Opportunity cost: Women frequently forgo opportunities to engage in the economy, grow their careers, and improve their financial situation. Researchers can measure the economic value of doing chores by quantifying the time spent on them and comparing it with market wages. Recognizing this potential cost is critical to understanding the economic impact of unpaid housework on household income and the national economy.

2) Market replacement: It allocates economic value based on the current wages for similar work  in the labor market to household chores, if we were to outsource it to others, this involves cleaning services, meal prep, elder and child care etc.

Placing economic value on unpaid housework sparks debates about gender equality and legislative solutions. Failure to do so will reinforce traditional gender roles, fueled by patriarchal norms. It will continue to mask the contributions of many women in society, resulting in gender disparities and misguided policy decisions. Addressing the economic invisibility of housework is not only a social justice issue but also a step toward creating more sustainable and inclusive economies.

Way forward:

Change occurs not only when women take the lead, but when men and women collaborate and advocate for better policies that safeguard women’s interests in society. It is necessary to foster shared responsibility and break free from preconceived gender notions.

It is vital for the government to take the initiative and implement additional policy initiatives that emphasize the need for a balanced distribution of childcare and home responsibilities. Such as access to parental leave policies for both parents, financial incentives in place such as paying subsidies for couples sharing housework equally, education and awareness programs that challenge gender stereotypes around housework, and affordable child care alternatives, alongside pensions for homemakers. This permits parents, primarily women, to pursue careers without ignoring domestic obligations. The incorporation of technology will be advantageous and alleviate much of the stress involved with housework, eg: robot vacuums, washing machines and so on. Employers should encourage and support homemakers who want to restart their careers and offer flexible work arrangements such as remote work and part-time choices, enabling simpler management of both work and household life.

With the tax reduction plan that the Swedish government has introduced, the government will foot half of the household bill. Such initiatives will not only allow women to actively engage in the economy, but will bring much needed transparency, by reducing black market hiring practices of workers. It will ensure safeguarding the rights of the workers and guaranteeing fair compensation .

The gendering of housework is a multi-faceted issue with deep historical context and broad ramifications. Its negative effects on women’s mental, physical, and financial health propagate unequal power dynamics and hampers progress towards gender equality. It’s about time we step up and finally acknowledge the need of the hour and make a collective effort to impede established gender norms in order to create a future in which maintenance of a home is an equally shared responsibility.

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