Intersectional Issues of Women in India: The Dual Burden of Housework and Office Work

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 Intersectional Issues of Women in India:

The Dual Burden of Housework and Office Work


What is Intersectionality?

Coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, intersectionality refers to how multiple social identities-gender, caste, class, religion, age, and location-interact to produce unique experiences of discrimination or disadvantage.

In India, working women often face an interlocking disadvantage: they are expected to excel professionally while shouldering disproportionate domestic responsibilities.

I. The Housework Burden

1.Unpaid and Unrecognized Labour

  •  Women spend 5-6 hours/day on unpaid domestic work, vs. 1 hour for men (Time Use Survey 2019).
  •  Not counted in GDP, yet critical to economic functioning.

2.Social Conditioning

  • Housework is seen as a woman's "duty," deeply entrenched in patriarchal norms.

3."Lack of Infrastructure

  •  In rural areas, fetching water, fuel, and cooking consumes hInfrastructurAbsence of public childcare increases dependency on women.

4Caste and Class Dimension

  • Upper-class women may outsource housework to lower-caste women-but these workers remain invisible and underpaid.

Challenges in the Professional Sphere

1. Workplace Discrimination

  •  Gender pay gap (~20%), fewer promotions, and underrepresentation in leadership.

2.Occupational Segregation

  • Women overrepresented in care work, teaching, admin, underrepresented in STEM and corporate leadership.

3.Sexual Harassment and Safety

  • Fear of harassment at workplaces or during commute restricts mobility and choices.

4. Intersectional Vulnerability

  • Dalit, Muslim, and Adivasi women face additional barriers-discrimination, lower access to jobs, and representation.

III. The Double Burden: Where Both Worlds Collide

1. Time Poverty

  • Juggling jobs and housework leaves little time for rest, skill-building, or leisure.
  •  Leads to mental health issues and burnout.

2.COVID-19 Pandemic Amplification

  •  Work-from-home blurred boundaries; women were forced to multitask relentlessly

3. Societal Judgments

  • Women seen as "neglecting family" if too career-focused; face guilt, stigma, or marital pressure.

4.Invisibility in Policy

  •  Most employment and welfare schemes are gender-neutral and fail to account for this dual load.

IV.What Can Be Done?

Policy Interventions

  • Recognize unpaid work in national accounts.
  • Expand crèches, maternity entitlements, and community kitchens.
  • Provide flexible work hours and remote work options.

Legal and Institutional Measures

  • Enforce workplace safety and anti-harassment laws (PoSH Act).
  • Improve representation of women in trade unions and corporate boards.

Social and Educational Change

  • Integrate gender sensitization in schools.
  • Promote shared household responsibility among men (e.g., #ShareTheLoad campaigns).

Intersectional Welfare Schemes

  • Targeted employment and skilling for marginalized women (Dalit, Muslim, tribal).

Conclusion

The Indian woman's struggle is not just between the home and the office, but also between recognition and erasure, mobility and restriction, and aspiration and expectation. An intersectional lens is crucial to design inclusive, responsive, and just policies that account for the complex realities of women's lives in India

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