Domestic drudgery
Domestic drudgery
Domestic drudgery
75% of women across India undertake time-consuming efforts every day to ensure their families have water (referred to as ‘domestic drudgery’) (NFHS-5.Domestic drudgery: It refers to menial, distasteful, or hard work .Drudgery affects women from an early age.)
Consequences of Domestic drudgery :Exhaustion ,Musculoskeletal disorders, Lower immunity, Higher mental stress. It threatens women’s physical safety. It can impact cognitive development and education levels among children.
National Commission for Women Report, 2005): Longer queues and worse quality of water and losing four-five hours to collect water.Council on Energy, Environment and Water Report 2021: Difficulties in refilling gas and increasing prices 52% of women in rural India go for firewood.
How government interventions can save women from domestic drudgery: Banaskantha, Gujarat: Researchers found that when the indoor piped water supply is coupled with job opportunities through micro-enterprises, time-released from water collection is converted into income earned.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana:LPG cylinders received under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana have saved time and improved the health of women.constructuring household roles:The restructuring of household roles and responsibilities would be ideal such that men contribute equally at home.
Systematic investment :A more systematic investment, driven by sustained economic growth and better state capacity, in the delivery of quasi-public goods is also essential.