THE UNBROKEN HOUSEWIVES

In the contemporary world everything keeps changing in a fast forward way the traditional habits, behaviors, practices, norms etc but ever wondered globally there is a term still exists in 2022 with new added features or we can say it attains a new shape with new responsibility equaling to fast forward world and that’s the term “Housewives”. We are in the year 2022 Globally many things have changed for eg: The computer we use, The financial revolution, Management & Labour, Airplane travel got a whole lot less luxurious, A high school diploma wont get you very far anymore, Retail stores are being replaced by the internet, writing letters is a charmingly antiquated hobby not the norm, paper books are being replaced with digital versions, the population explosions, recycling well the list goes on. Often in the present world people live or connect or fight in a dreamy world for example social media, if there is a sensational news happened in town immediately down there in the comment section people spread from hate speech to fake news and fight vice versa. If the government goes for any resolution taking people fail to make their appearance in real more or less social media debates are worthless in many countries they simply use as a platform to spread hate speech against one another. What have not changed still is the real fact which people often not giving attention to fact changing issues. Even the dictionary meaning of housewives have not changed.

Back in 2020 when covid 19 hit globally many real facts came into picture in all the developing & developed countries for eg: Every year Indian government spent crores of money for health care system but during covid times from hospitals to beds shortage toll increased to infinity number, food shortage, financial crisis, Thriving lower middle class and poor families, the status of basic amenities the government provide to citizens everything got exposed. One among such thing is the status of housewives the burden got tripled. The modern period of time is full of opportunities is vividly open to both men and women. Women in every corner of the society participate and wins in each sector the growth and empowerment are evident both in rural and urban place. In the scenes of developing economy women’s participation equals in number which is also gradually increasing especially in countries like India. Back then when covid hit women are burdened with loads of work both from carrier to household hold chores. When the reality is exposed during covid times we came to understand that nothing has changed for over the past 50 years down the line. I still remember during my college days there are many awareness Facebook post revolve around like “why women are given choices carrier or family why can’t they have both” this was the question we keep asking over the times. In some places society gave the way for women’s participation in workforce and we see an upsurge in girls finishing degrees and working, contribution level increased in many developing countries. But the question of household care and child care is not addressed to be honest it is not even in the picture. When covid hits the mode of work or flexibility in workforce have introduced only then the picture of women exposed.

Over the time Government and Society especially the social laws of the country bring a huge step towards the upliftment of women in all the spheres of life. Compare to the past days the modern times from participation to access women are largely contributing. If we take India as an example around 64% of urban women are engaged in domestic work compared to 60% in rural areas of these mostly are working women’s who manage both the carrier and domestic work. The real condition of burden on women can be witnessed in rural India, where women work in paddy fields during the day and carry out their domestic work in between they take a day off for getting ration products, Gram Sabha meetings, village development activities all included in their routine works. Recognition of domestic works and valuing them is a longterm demand from feminist all over the world. Every country is trying to give value for the unpaid domestic works. During 2021 Assembly election in TamilNadu Kamal Hassan from Makkal Needhi Maiam in his manifesto he promised salaries for housewives for their 24*7 contribution in house many Indian leaders welcomed the idea of monetizing the service of women homemakers in society which enhance their power, autonomy and create a near universal basic income but not only in 2021 the demand for wages against housework was first raised at the third National Women’s Liberation Conference in Manchester, England, International Wages for Housework Campaign (IWFHC) was formed by Selma James in 1972. Many countries UK, US , Canada, Italy, India have proposed a similar request. In India an application by the National Housewives Association seeking recognition as a trade union in 2010 was rejected by the deputy registrar of trade unions on the ground that house works is not a trade or an industry. In 2012 Ministry of women and development announced that the government was considering mandating a salary for housework to wives from husbands however the proposal never materialized and with the change in government the idea was put to rest. In countries like India the implementation of giving basic income to women is always a struggle because of other attractive provisions for eg: Right to reside in Marital home, Streedhan, Coparcenary and Inheritance rights, Free Legal Aid and maintenance in case of Domestic violence and Divorce. Besides doing household chores Indian women also participate in unpaid work in the family business and low paid labor in informal sector for decades now still we are debating to recognize them but the idea was not only to ensure the basic income to women, the behavioral change within families making the household chores more participative and giving freedom to women. Working inside the home or outside must be a womens choice also the participation in household chores should be shared among the members of the family.