The Coronavirus Quarantine Is The Golden Opportunity For Men To Help Women In Household Chores

For millions around the world, life has taken a drastic turn. The coronavirus pandemic has put everyone in quarantine. Those who complained that they do not have enough time to spend with their family, have little to complain about now, except maintain social distancing.

Undoubtedly, for women, the primary caretakers in a household, the situation was always the same. Irrespective of the pandemic, their responsibilities were never lesser, just shared with the help of a house help, laundry service, cooks, among others.

While the coronavirus pandemic has opened a Pandora¡¯s box, it has also presented an unprecedented opportunity for men in the country to help their wives, girlfriends and partners with the household responsibilities.

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Most Indian men have a perception that as breadwinners of the family, their primary responsibility is to earn money and take care of the finances. However, with more women in the workforce than ever, this notion falls flat. Women have been the primary caregivers of the families between managing their own jobs and handling household chores, there is a clear divide between the responsibilities they have than those of men.

In the times of coronavirus, nearly all of the white-collar workforce is working from home, the labour for women has only increased manifold, given the fact schools and colleges have been shut and children are at home, and domestic workers have been asked to stay at home for everyone¡¯s safety.

This is a golden opportunity for men to share the workload and prove that they truly believe in gender equality.

There's no doubt that young people today have become more open-minded about gender roles be it sports or politics, but one space where they still hold on to traditional perception about who does what at home.

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A survey from Gallup found that among opposite-sex couples, those 18 to 34 ¡ª basically, millennials and the oldest members of Gen Z ¡ª were no more likely than older couples to divide household chores equitably.

Among people under 35, there¡¯s almost universal support for women to pursue careers or political office. Women get more education than men.

While men now have taken up a little more housework and women do a little less housework, a significant gap still remains, with ¡°a little¡± being a primary takeaway.

The inequality affects other facets of equality: The additional time women spend on domestic labour, particularly related to children and cooking, is a leading cause of the gender gaps in pay and promotions at work.

In opposite sex couples, it is often the woman doing majority of the domestic duties, especially related to children, even if she has a career.

For many, acceptance of gender equality has come with changing times, but men are still reluctant to take care of vacuuming and cooking.