Importance of Women’s work

Mahendra (to his wife): Sunita, did you pack my lunch and you haven’t given breakfast to papa yet…

Sunita (from Kitchen): Everything is ready, why don’t you come and take it?

Mahendra (to his daughter): Guddi, go and get it from kitchen.

Guddi: Papa, I have exams why don’t you tell Raju to do it..

Grandfather: Mahendra, you go and get it from kitchen…it will be of help to Sunita.

Mahendra: What? Now men will do women work in this house?

Grandfather: Women do a lot of work for which they are not paid but that does not mean that it does not have any value. I guess we don’t really recognise their work and effort nor do we value their work.

Mahendra in his office

Mahendra (to his colleague): Rakesh, why were you on leave for last two days?

Rakesh: My wife has gone to her parents’ house and there was no one at home to cook or clean the house.

Mahendra: So much trouble! I didn’t realise how much Sunita manages.

Rakesh: So true…I used to reach the office without any worry. Cooked food, washed clothes – everything is ready; so much they do and one says that their wife does only household work.

Colleague joins the conversation

Aisha: During my college days I read a report of a survey conducted by the government, which mentioned that nine out of ten women are always engaged in some kind of work…

Aisha: …and as compared to men, women in rural as well as in urban areas spend more time doing unpaid work and care work and they hardly have any time for themselves.

Mahendra: I never realised this angle to women’s work, this thought is worth considering.