Will men help women in household work post lockdown? Let’s find out

My phone buzzed and I saw my mother calling. I picked it up and she excitedly told me that my father is helping her with household chores. For a quick second, it brought a lot of joy in me as it is like a welcoming change. However, when I checked Instagram I saw videos of men and boys cooking and cleaning home thanks to this lockdown. It is often women and girls in a household that bear the burden of chores such as cooking. But with men and boys sharing the load of kitchen duties, does it mean that we are breaking the social stigma around cooking? Or is it that we have found a way to weave even this household duty into the stereotypical narrative of society?

The question arises will these men who are tagging each other as ” real men” on Instagram videos will continue doing so. We wonder that the age-old stigma will end or continue to haunt us throughout?

Is household work only a woman’s responsibility?

The idea of household work being divided among men and women on the basis of gender peddles the sexist norms which expect us to follow the guidelines in a certain way, and not how we want to. While men must be breadwinners,  women must manage the household. But such norms are unfair for both men and women. Women who step out to earn are expected that they still come back home and finish their household duties. In fact, it has also been seen that men who take interest in doing household work are often being shamed and called “feminine”. In fact, this helping each other has an advantage where women can concentrate and will also able to balance their lives.

Men helping women in household work – will that happen?

It is a baby step towards the fight against gender inequality. But at the same time, we can’t keep glorifying it to the core. Haven’t women spent lives doing the same chores, without much glory? And while we should appreciate any work that any person gets done around the house, isn’t it misplaced to do it not because that is the right thing to do.

Now, getting back to the question we wonder if men would continue this when the normal routine follows or would find it unappealing and will get back to the same old norm.

Are we ready for a change?

But I do hope that these things are still there even after the lockdown. This lockdown has acted as a teacher for us and will continue to do in all respects. It taught us how we all are equal in front of the creators. Perhaps this would also question the gender dynamics that we face in our everyday routine. As our lifestyle changes, isn’t it necessary to change our thought process too?

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About the Author

Poonam Chatterjee is a budding author, pet lover, and foodie. From a tender age of ten, she found her calling in the written word and since then, has been scribbling away her unconventional ideas, sometimes in the last pages of notebooks and sometimes on online blogs. Writing gives her happiness like no other thing. 

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