Modern relationships are getting more complicated with women taking care of the home and the work front too.
It isn't surprising that women face more hurdles when they are trying to build a career because one of the things that they love, motherhood and family, might be getting in their way. Trying to balance their career with a huge pile of laundry, cooking meals, packing lunches for their kids, keeping track of the soccer schedule, and more just falls on them. Not that men these days don't help, but they do just that: help. They may not be taking ownership or sharing the load.
They wait for the woman of the household to tell them how to help, and this mental labor of keeping track of everything that has to be done is called emotional labor. So, women are often working twice as hard, at home and at work, while trying to balance all that is on their plate.
In 2019, a comic labeled "Meritocracia" or Meritocracy showed how the playing field was not level for men and women. The comic, tweeted by an Indian businessman, Harvard grad, and billionaire Anand Mahindra applauded women for the labor they do at home, as per Parents.com.
I’ve been helping to baby-sit my year old grandson this past week & it’s brought home to me the stark reality of this image. I salute every working woman & acknowledge that their successes have required a much greater amount of effort than their male counterparts pic.twitter.com/2EJjDcK1BR
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) February 5, 2019
The powerful comic strip by Peruvian political cartoonist Carlin and the messaged by Mahindra went viral last year and sparked a debate about the issue. While women appreciated the billionaire for bringing focus to this, some men's rights activists thought it was important to mock the comic, highlighting their narrow views further.
Hope that this tweet coming from you encourages more men to come forward and share the household chores...#genderequality starts at home .#sharetheload
— Dhanashree S (@dhanashree0910) February 5, 2019
To every positive response to the tweet, there was a man telling Mahindra he was wrong and shouldn't be encouraging women to stand up for themselves. "Dear Mr. Anand, you too are becoming influenced with #misandry There has been a redefinition of roles for men and women. Men are owning up responsibility beyond that of a provider. #FeminismIsCancer," tweeted one user.
Absolutely true.Both Men's and women's role are changing together.If this feminism cancer can affect the Anand Mahindra and think about a common man.
— Harish Gupta (@guptaharish2624) February 6, 2019
One user shared more insights about why women fall behind in their careers. "What happens next in this unequal race is that #women fall through the cracks in the system. @anandmahindra is spot on about the challenges of the Start, Restart and Rise of women in the workforce," they said.
What happens next in this unequal race is that #women fall through the cracks in the system. @anandmahindra is spot on about the challenges of the Start, Restart and Rise of women in the workforce. #LookBeyondTheGlass at #AccelHERrate2019 https://t.co/ziuoTrs91q #BalanceforBetter pic.twitter.com/pVGlFRo24U
— JobsForHer (@jobsforher) February 7, 2019
But the numerous men who benefit from a system that puts the onus of something as laborious as childcare on women alone rose up against the women who were trying to open their eyes to this fact.
Plz get a reality check. Men will take up responsibilities only if their wives ask & that too in nuclear families. Women were meant 2 raise & nurture d future of mankind, bt r now earning for themselves & trusting strangers 4 their children bcoz of d respect a "provider" gets.
— sshah (@Hit_corruption) February 6, 2019
This debate is no more a "war of the sexes" as it has been pointed out to be in the past. It's moved way beyond that as it's been proved that when women work, nations rise, according to the World Economic Forum. It's better for the family and the country too. And, more women will be able to work and find happiness in their relationship when their partners share the workload equally.
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