Would you agree that household chores are unending? You stack the toys back into a basket only for your toddler to scatter them again, you do the dishes three times a day only to start with the cycle the next morning, the pile of laundry needs attention often and the list is endless.
Who bears the load of most of these tasks that have to be done to keep the home running? Mamma, wife, girlfriend – WHY?
Would you agree that even in homes where gender roles aren’t predefined, or couples take efforts to blur the line between a man’s and a woman’s job, most of the household work falls in the woman’s list of things to get done. Stereotypically household tasks are considered feminine.
Needless to say there does exist a big gap in the equal distribution of household work. The reasons for this could be several. In most homes, it is internalised conditioning the woman has been raised to see an impeccable home as a sign of her worth.
These are notions we as a modern society must challenge.
I recently watched a short film by Ariel that provokes us to raise questions and work towards equal distribution of chores for happier homes. Before we speak of this film particularly, there is some remarkable revolution the brand has aimed at bringing in the past few years.
Ariel’s #ShareTheLoad campaign has been a catalyst in the change we wish to see in the world.
2015
This marked a year of transition, as Ariel initiated a significant conversation – Is doing Laundry only a woman’s job ? #ShareTheLoad began with then intent to revolutionize mindsets and challenge the dogmas of the society.
2016
This conversation was taken forward in the consecutive year by urging “Dads Share The Load”. This played a role in breaking the cycle of prejudice asking fathers to be equal partners in house work.
2018
Ariel then moved the conversation to the young generation by asking parents to think – ‘Are we teaching our sons what we have been teaching our daughters?’ This urged them to introspect about raising kids of both genders in the same way. It urged mothers to raise their sons to be equal partners of tomorrow.
Yet Another Thought Provoking Initiative
This time in 2020 Ariel points out the impact unequal distribution of household chores can have on a woman’s well being. A survey revealed that 71% of women in India sleep less than their husbands because of household chores.
This year’s film has left a mark on me personally. The way it has been shot from the lens of a young girl who sees her mother juggle tasks through the day, and in the night too! It left me teary eyed as it depicted such an important with such plainness and ease. It ends with the father doing the laundry when he too realises the stress his wife is under.
Launch of #SharetheLaundary 2020
I had a wonderful experience at the launch event of #ShareTheLoad 4.0 by Ariel. Filmmaker and author Tahira Kashyap, who I have admired for her progressive thoughts and opinions, said at the event that she had her moment of realisation a couple of years back. She’d be the first to wake up and last to fall asleep. It’s only when a house works as a team do all members get enough sleep which is a prerequisite to good health.
It’s about time, we become equal partners in every sense of the word. If you ask a man what would be the easiest household work they’d like to share, I am sure most would say laundry. Taking it from there, Ariel encourages everyone tostart with #ShareTheLaundry and take their first steps to #ShareTheLoad
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