In Ramanujan’s poetry “Love Poem for a Wife,” the poet’s wife ruminates on her husband’s past experiences, undervaluing his quest for self-actualisation and ignoring his current “unique self,” yet the exact reverse occurs in practice. Women’s contributions are more underappreciated, particularly their contribution to household chores. The topic of women performing household chores has been occasionally debated and criticised. Women’s rights advocates have long been outspoken in their calls for the economicization of domestic work performed by women. But how are those directly involved in this domestic work evaluating it? Women’s labour is separated into domestic and outdoor labour within our social structure. Even many women these days work outside the home to supplement their income. Men are exempt from this division of labour, however. The term ‘housework’ for men is unfamiliar to us; it seems out of place in our culture. That being said, my writing does not address gender equality. Undervaluation of women in housework is my topic.

The role of women both in the home and outside :

lthough not all women have the obligation, opportunity or desire to go out and work, those who do housework are always busy with the pressure of housework. These women work nonstop from dawn till night on household chores. Additionally, the workload of those who go to work is frequently doubled. Domestic workers put in just as much effort as other women, sometimes even more; this is especially true for poor women living in rural areas.

In addition, some women in the community perform menial tasks both within and outside the home in exchange for cash.

While housekeeping is a crucial household duty, it is not recognised as “housework”; the women who perform this labour are undervalued. This woman would have received money if she had worked outside rather than doing housekeeping. And in such a situation, she was forced to pay someone to do the housekeeping. However, rather than keeping the money for themselves, the women are spending it with the family.

In this case, the argument or question that may arise is that housewives are relieved of the burden of providing for their families while performing housework. Some individuals could believe that a housewife works for her family in her own home and that work is not something that needs to be considered separately. These points are valid, but it’s also important to show that housewives are actively involved in their families, communities, and states rather than just lounging around.

If a woman works only at home, her labour is just as important as any other outside job done by a man or woman; in fact, it’s frequently even more so, particularly when it comes to raising children, which is something that cannot be overstated. The subject is not brought up, but the woman expertly manages the home and provides a calm atmosphere for the male to work outside. A housewife does a lot of things at once.

Undervaluing women’s contributions :

Man’s place in contemporary capitalist society is determined by his or her level of economic security and freedom. Women performing household chores and not working are indicators of their inferior status there. Women have a poor position in society and the family since they perform the majority of the work inside the home and are not appreciated for it. They frequently become victims of violence as well. Economic evaluation of women’s work can play a special role in preventing violence and establishing women’s social status. However, as there is a need to work outside for women’s identity, financial empowerment, and family well-being, a housewife’s role in forming a family and society is undeniable. Women contribute their labour, skills, and time to this domestic work. However, these intangible creations by incalculable women continue to be unseen. Evaluating jobs based on financial standards is also difficult.

According to popular belief in society, women are born for self-sacrifice. Women often give in to adapt to the situation. Girls do a lot on their own from a sacrifice point of view. It can be seen that she is eating after voluntarily feeding everyone in the family. Not only do they eat less, but many women do not even tell family members about their illness for fear of spending money. They are, therefore, not given the correct treatment. However, these unfair practices are unrelated to religion; egotistical people persist in following these traditions to further their agendas. As a result, women suffer the greatest harm to their mental structures in addition to physical exploitation.

After being taken advantage of in the circumstance, the woman herself later assigns blame for the carelessness to another woman under the guise of “what people will say,” “rules,” “religion,” “conformity,” etc. It is women who have devalued women’s housekeeping! Women are directly involved in “household work,” which is a significant profession, yet there is a dearth of self-awareness among them on the significance of this activity.

Women have always assumed that since this is how work has always been done, there is no need to think or approach it differently. Women detest the labour in their conscience, even if they spend most of the day performing these services. To date, the majority of women have either refused to acknowledge or not taken the role seriously.
Because the majority of housewives respond to the question, “What do you do?” with reluctance, uncertainty, and a hint of shame. This response states that they are not paid. A woman can reject her manual labour, her ability, her time, and everything so easily in an instant. The role of the person, family, community, or state comes later when one is unwilling to acknowledge or respect one’s labour. The person who helps out around the house the most should step up first. She needs to be convinced that she is contributing as well. This insight is much needed.

Considerations

Establishing a right or entitlement in a family or society is by no means simple. Because of this, women must bear the burden of harsh remarks or narrow-minded attacks. There will also be indications of some goodwill. A woman’s road will be made easier multiple times if her family is generous. Women’s attitudes towards housework will eventually alter if their families are proud of the housewife’s contribution to the family and learn to respect and value her labour.

This shift is particularly significant for Muslim households. Muslim men’s assistance is crucial in fulfilling the heavy duty of modelling an ideal lifestyle. Regardless of how hard we work to articulate the beauty of Islam in words & writing, education will be useless for the betterment of society & women if it is not used in the actual world.

While housekeeping is a crucial household duty, it is not recognised as “housework”; the women who perform this labour are undervalued. This woman would have received money if she had worked outside rather than doing housekeeping. And in such a situation, she was forced to pay someone to do the housekeeping. However, rather than keeping the money for themselves, the women are spending it with the family.