The holiday season has started. In fact, we are halfway into it. We just celebrated Diwali with great enthusiasm. We all were busy enjoying the delicacies served on the table for us. But who was involved in making everything beautiful for us? Who was glued to the kitchen all day to make the festive season a fun affair? Who exhausted themselves in decorating the houses? Who took care of the kids while adults indulged themselves in the festivities? Women.
It is very common in our society to forget to be grateful to women for making our holidays a comfort-seeking time. Moreover, during every holiday, no one cares if the women of the house were free from their daily responsibilities of taking care of the house, family members, and kids. No one cares if women had free time to do things that they love. No one cares about women’s right to sit back and relax. But what is the reason behind this? Why don’t we allow women to enjoy holidays?
1. Women are less privileged in our society
Women in a patriarchal society are not as privileged as men. They are considered the subservient gender that needs to take care of the dominant gender of men. Since childhood, the responsibility of taking care of family members and household chores is dumped on women. And performing caregiving and household chores is considered their responsibility and the reason for their existence. That is why women are never allowed to have free time. Be it working days or holidays, women have to be on their toes to provide for the requirements of every single person in the house.
Recommended reading: Changing Gender Roles In Modern Society
Recommended reading: Why We Get Trapped In Abusive Relationships?
2. Men never take responsibility for taking care of themselves
Another reason why women do not enjoy holidays is men’s negligence towards their responsibilities. Men in our society never feel responsible for taking care of themselves- their requirements, their happiness and their comfort. They don’t even serve food on their own plates, let alone do anything else for themselves. They are totally dependent on women for physical and emotional care.
Actually, since childhood, men are used to this dependency. As a child, they depend on their mothers and as an adult, on their wives. They are never taught to be responsible for fulfilling their needs. And so women have to take care of the men they love so that they don’t miss out on anything. From food to medicines, women look after everything a man needs to survive. In such a situation, how can women get rid of responsibilities when it comes to ensuring a comfortable holiday for the men they love?
3. Men are considered deserving of holidays because they earn
Men in the houses are considered deserving of holidays – the right to enjoy holidays – because they are the breadwinners of the house. Since women don’t earn and mostly stay at home, it is assumed that they are free the entire day. And so they don’t require any holiday. But why don’t people understand that housework is as much tiring as any other office work? Why do people feel that performing household chores is an easy task and doesn’t require any hard work, appreciation or compensation?
A report of the year 2020 stated that women spend around 84 percent of their working hours in unpaid domestic work while men spend 80 percent of the same on paid work. Even if people do not consider housework as hard work, it doesn’t make sense when they expect women to do their work on holidays, too, when everyone else is free from their duties. Just because women don’t earn doesn’t mean that their duties are not exhausting.
4. Women’s roles as caregiver is considered more important than their role as an individual
Women in our society are conditioned since childhood to take care of the house and family members. They are always told that caregiving is their main responsibility and they should sacrifice their individuality too if the situation demands. According to National Family Health Survey-5, 21,800 girls from urban and rural areas dropped out of schools and assisting and learning housework was one of the primary reasons behind it. This is the reason why women are made to undervalue their individuality and every right that an individual has. And taking a break from all the responsibilities at home is a part of individual rights and women are deprived of it because of their primary duty as caregivers which they cannot let go of even if it erodes their individuality.
Recommended reading: Say No To Gender Based Parenting
Recommended reading: 5 Things To Teach Your Boys
But dear society, it is not easy for women to devote all their time to taking care of others. It takes a toll on their mental and physical health. It is very important for women too to take breaks from their regular responsibilities and enjoy holidays so that they can exercise their right to do their duties at their own pace without sacrificing their health and individuality.
