Why Is A Woman's Worth Defined By How Well She Does Chores?

Even if a woman is an international sportstar, her worth is still determined by whether she can or cannot efficiently do household chores. Though Sushila Chanu has made it big in the Indian women’s hockey scene, captivated viewers and won over hearts, our MPs still congratulate her on how well she does her chores!

Recently, the Minister of State for Home Affair Kiren Rijiju, decided to honour Chanu, with a tweet congratulating her. “I salute Sushila Chanu from Manipur who lead Women Hockey at Rio Olympic & others who play for country, do official duty & chores faithfully, he tweeted.

In the picture, we see Chanu, in her role as a junior ticket collector at the Central Mumbai Railway, where she works, and in the kitchen.

I salute Sushila Chanu from Manipur who lead Women Hockey at Rio Olympic & others who play for country, do official duty & chores faithfully pic.twitter.com/2VAkti3yFu

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) November 4, 2017

So why should a woman’s worth be measured by whether she can do ‘chores faithfully’? Nobody is asking any of our sportsmen whether they are doing their chores well. So why are we praising Chanu about her prowess in the kitchen, instead of on the field?

Society still has different expectations for women the world over. Did you know that girls between the ages of 5 and 14 spend an average of 40 per cent more time on household chores than boys of the same age do. They spend 550 million hours a day, and 160 million more hours on unpaid household chores than boys do.

Also Read: Messages At Home Perpetuate Gender Stereotypes: Feminist Conference

Girls Spend Double Time On Chores Than Boys

In the South Asian regions of the world, girls spend nearly twice as many hours on chores than boys do. Girls and boys are taught that chores are mostly a women’s domain, from an early age. They are socialised into thinking that household duties are a girl’s domain, even though she may go to school with her brothers and friends, and be encouraged to pursue a career.

There is nothing wrong with doing chores. Nothing at all. But there is something wrong when we define a woman’s worth with her ability to take care of the house.

Culturally, the house is still depicted as a ‘woman’s domain’. A man helping out gets appreciated for being considerate and caring. A woman helping out around the house is just doing her duty. And in a household, children soak up the messages that are sent to them.

So next time, let’s hope our ministers also congratulate our sportsmen for dutifully doing their chores. That is a message we would like to see out there! 

Also Read: From Household Chores To Parenting, Why Women Prefer Staying At Home