Sharing is easy

Women are not only fighting for equality or equal entitlement to the opportunities in the
pursuit of   their career but also to get their husbands to share the work at home when they are available. Laundry isn't just a woman's job and this prejudice related to household chores is constantly being passed on to the next generation. Gone are the days when it was considered that all the household work from cooking to washing of the family laundry is a women’s job. Today women are managing home and office efficiently. The women of the house are seen doing all the house work while the males are seen watching the TV. This is what the children have learned from their elders. Now both men and women are bread earners then why they both do not share the work burden together. Children learn from what they see so we must set a example for them. Now it’s time to think of a long term solution to this problem by nipping the prejudice at the bud. Children learn what they see and what they are taught by their parents. So if they see that the household chores are the exclusive domain of women, they will carry this prejudice well into their adulthood. Boys aren’t taught how to take care of children and how to do laundry. Washing clothes is not a rocket science. It’s very simple and just needs the will to help and understand that its good to share responsibility and break this old practice of putting all the laundry work on the ladies of the house. The issue is not ofcompetence. If someone wants to learn how to cook, take care of children and manage the household chores she or he can certainly do so. The competence in household skills is not the exclusive domain of women.2 out of every 3 children think that washing clothes is a mother’s job but the fact is it is not. It’s a mother’s love and not her job or responsibility.78% of girls in India agree that they should learn to do laundry as they will have to do it when they grow up. The question is why?

Almost all the household have a washing machine and one just need to put the clothes and washing powder and set the machine to do the washing then why only girls are made to do all the laundry. Why this discrimination.81% of married men in India agree
that their daughters must learn household chores. The point is that the boys should be trained for the same. Now there are no extended families any more so husband and wife should be equally trained for the household work to support each other and balance their lives.

I join Ariel and BlogAdda to fight the imbalance within the household by
asking #IsLaundryOnlyAWomansJob and asking men to #ShareTheLoad.

“I am joining the Ariel #ShareTheLoad campaign at BlogAdda and blogging about the prejudice related to household chores being passed on to the next generation.”

Alittle help is what is needed

Today women are highly educated but the mindset of the society is still old and full of disparity. The twin role of a home maker and career is quite challenging. There is a generational change from my mother’s time to my grand daughters time. The outlooks, aspirations, mode of dressing and eating styles have changed a lot but the ills of society for women are still there. The rule set by society that household chore, especially laundry, is a woman’s job is still prevalent. Masculinity and manhood are constructed through a gradual, timely, an orderly process, of socially prescribed, family centered and community related roles and responsibilities. The extent of these male focused roles is, to a large extent, undertaken by women at the household level, where primary socialization takes place. Boys are taught by their mothers and shown by their fathers how to be a man and they are excused. Today women are more self confident and sure of what they want and deserve. They expect their husbands to be equal partners in parenting and in sharing the chores of the household. There are million of women who despite doing a larger share of domestic labor don’t complain of this inequality of performing ‘female’ tasks around the house. My sister is a full time employed mother who often complains about the burden on her. 

The morning time is the hardest, when she gets her six year old son ready for the day. She wishes if she could gets a helping hand from her husband. She wished her husband would help her by taking the kid to the bus stop or help him pack his bag for school but he always shows his superiority of being a male and refuses to help my sister in any way. My sister’s biggest and oldest complaint is when both are at home. Her husband won’t help with the laundry. She often asks him as to why doesn’t he help with the laundry to which he says "Never do it. I've never done it on my own and probably never will.” He doesn’t help because he feels entitled not to. 

He needs to relax when he comes home from work and on holidays and Sundays. While my sister wont sit still even on a Sunday. That’s the difference between her and her husband. She is cooking, feeding the kid or doing laundry whereas her husband is watching television or having an outing with friends. She and more women like her need help. If only their husband do some laundry or make dinner occasionally. Women today want more help and also want appreciation for the work they do at home and for what they have given up, the sacrifice of their time and for their efforts.

 She doesn’t demand equality but wants recognition for the costs that inequality has imposed on her. She has less leisure time till her children have gone to bed and after doing all the household chores. Most households are of the collective opinion that doing any household chore, especially laundry, is a woman’s job. Its time to balance this disparity within the household by asking #IsLaundryOnlyAWomansJob and asking men to #ShareTheLoad. And now it’s time to think of a long term solution to this problem by nipping the prejudice at the bud.

“I am joining the Ariel #ShareTheLoad campaign at BlogAdda and blogging about the prejudice related to household chores being passed on to the next generation.”

oops I just broke that Stereotype

I am a free spirited person who hates being typecast into categories or stereotypes . Talking about stereotypes I must share the following details with you
Did you know that….

a. 69% of men agree that their judgement of women is based on their

looks.

b. 64% of women agree that the judgments passed on them have

affected their ability to reach their true potential.

c. 70%of women agree that majority of judgments on women are from

family members or friends rather than strangers.

d. 72% of women agree that working women face more judgments on

their looks or their clothes than housewives.
Yes these statistics are true and not a figment of my imagination. There figures are taken from the Nihar Naturals #IAmCapable survey conducted by Nielsen India . The above statistics shows how we sterotype others and ourselves.We all use stereotypes, all the time, without knowing it.Each of us has a biased view.We all have limited perspective.Life is a constant struggle.When I look back I find myself thinking what the others will think and accordingly should  I get dressed or act.However I love to dress differently or try new styles and fashion but I always selected clothes or accessories according to the occasion because I know I would not be accepted because of societies set rules.However slowly I tried to break free trying out different outfits and mixing and matching clothes. Since I was breaking a Stereotype that girl should dress in a certain way so there was opposition but I followed my heart and after some time evolved my own style of dressing that I still go by.After spending time observing the attributes of career in the eyes of a man I realized a harsh reality that women are treated differently than men in corporate world. Many women experience unfair judgment and treatment based on stereotypes.Many women lack career advancement partly due to longstanding negative stereotypes that follow women. Women face the challenge of being viewed as having deficiencies in maturity and the ability to take charge of their careers. It is often believed that the women wearing saree would lack the leadership skills that would enable them to run a department or organization. We pay more attention to stereotypes than we think.I am an individual and I am going to break these stereotypes at every opportunity and every stage of my life.The best way is to show my confidence and improve my body language. Show the world that they have to change their mindsets and accept us "women" in all fields of life.Its time to show and prove to the world that we women are capable of all sorts of jobs and we should not be discriminated on the basis of our appearance and clothing. Women are categorized into "Traditional" or "modern".If girls have long hair they are homely feminine and if short they are tomboys. People have fixed mindsets and think girls with long hair are fit to look after home only and they  should not take any profession. I have long hair and I used to wear salwar kameez yet I am a rebel with a cause. I still remember when I passed my 12th all my relatives suggested to me that I should take up home science and they started looking for a suitable
groom for me! When I told them that I want to go for management studies they all discouraged me. When I started learning driving I saw people staring at me in a strange manner as if they have seen an alien driving on the road. I encountered such stereotype in the professional world as well. I must admit that at times it can be tough but like a lone warrior I march on challenging stereotypes and breaking them. I
would like to give a big thanks to Nihar a brand which believes in encouraging and enabling women to achieve their full potential. Society should stop appearance based stereotypes as it affects women's morale and professional progress.We all want freedom from judgement that are passed on .An individual should be judged on creativity and productivity.


“I’m breaking stereotypes based on appearance by sharing my experience for the #IAmCapable activity at BlogAdda in association with Nihar Naturals.”

Smashing Stereotypes because I know that IAmCapable

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan has recently released the Nihar Naturals’ “I am Capable ” National report.
I shared this statistics with my female boss.

a. 69% of men agree that their judgement of women is based on their looks.

b. 64% of women agree that the judgments passed on them have affected their ability to reach their true potential.

c. 70%of women agree that majority of judgments on women are from family members or friends rather than strangers.

d. 72% of women agree that working women face more judgments on their looks or their clothes than housewives.

She told me that she is in this field for more than 30 years.She has been through a lot of stereotypes and even after going through so much she still faces harsh and limiting assessments based on her gender, appearance rather than her true potential.Women's appearance and ability are different and should not be judged together.Women are being judged more, even by other women.A woman who shows emotion in the workplace is often cast as too fragile or unstable to lead.And on the other hand A woman who shows no emotion and keeps it hyper-professional is icy and unfeminine. For many women, it can be a no-win situation.Successful women face typecasting largely because society is still adjusting to women’s recent decision-making power.The effects of gender-based stereotyping can be devastating, potentially undermining women’s capacity to lead, and pose serious challenges to women’s career advancement.Most alarmingly, men consider women to be less adept at problem-solving.companies have shown an increased commitment to diversity, inclusion, and the advancement of women in the workplace. Yet, the representation of women in leadership remains stagnant.Organizations should take steps to eradicate this bias, women leaders will forever be undermined and misjudged, regardless of their talents or aptitudes.Gender stereotypes are pervasive in all aspects of life, from education to work, from sport to art, from family to political life.They influence behaviours at work and in social life; they are the root causes of inequalities in the labor market and in other spheres. Its a society's responsibility to encourage and enable women to achieve their full potential.The media and the advertising industry can help us overcome this misconception.Female gender stereotypes in the media are either housewives, obsessed over home appliances, or a sexy seductress, kissing a man to advertise a lipstick or trying on a new fragrance.Stereotypes can have negative consequences in terms of well-being and self-confidence.We women refuse to accept this stereotype judgement.I along with my boss and all other women join Nihar Naturals compaign. We support this strong message.A women should not be judged by her hair style or dressing style but instead by her creativity, talent and her performance.

“I’m breaking stereotypes based on appearance by sharing my experience for the #IAmCapable activity at BlogAdda in association with Nihar Naturals.”