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some others who insisted on their ham, eggs
and bacon.
The CEO of a well-known Indian company
in his message to employees recently said,
“During the present lock-down having to
WFH, with the added pressure of absence
of domestic help, our women are in an even
more challenging situation. They are now
required to balance work and domestic
chores, childcare, home schooling; when all
In traditional families, the woman ends up doing all the the family members are at home, including
work while the man relaxes in his armchair
spouse, children, and elders in some cases.”
but I think no more. Whether it is a man or It gives me the impression that Indian
a woman, a statement like that might draw society has not moved at all. That really
disgust rather than awe in today’s society. is a deeply androcentric statement for an
It might show that the person making those androcentric society and reinforces societal
confessions is lacking in basic life skills. stereotypes that hold women back.
So how has life changed?
As I observe life from my solitary
confinement inside my flat, I notice some
men with a broom and a mop. Today I
heard some loud 80s music blaring out in
my society, and I couldn’t help asking my
neighbour why he was playing his audio
system so loudly today. He said he likes to
hear music, when he is mopping the floor.
Surprisingly I also enjoy listening to music,
whether I am mopping the floor or cooking
in the kitchen.
But in some traditional families I only
see the woman working more than ever. India ranks 129 on the Gender Inequality
And the man relaxing in his armchair, Index in the Human Development reports
reading his newspaper which is online. I brought out by the United Nations. It even
can’t help feeling sorry for the wife in these ignores the WHO guidelines on Covid-19
families. Obviously Ariel’s #sharetheload above. And if the front-runners in our
commercials are a huge waste of time, money society display this kind of bias, brought
and effort. Nothing is likely to change those to us over millennia, I sometimes wonder
families. When I worked in South Africa I when India will change.
realised that some deeply entrenched habits Covid-19 in many ways has been a great
are very difficult to change. I worked on time for the average Indian to get unspoilt.
Kellogg’s and discovered that it was easier to And trigger some profound changes in
change local populations to cornflakes than Indian society for the future.
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #10 | APRIL 2020 19
