LIES OUR MOTHERS TOLD US (HB)

Savitribai Phule, Mahasweta
Devi, Amrita Pritam, Medha Patkar, Kamla Bhasin, and countless others have,
since the nineteenth century, fought for and won equal rights for Indian
women in a variety of areas?universal suffrage, inheritance and property rights,
equal remuneration, prevention of sexual harassment at the workplace, and
others. Pioneering feminists believed that due to these hard-won rights,
their daughters and granddaughters would have the opportunity to have
rewarding careers, participate in the social and political growth of the
country, gain economic independence, and become equal partners in their
marriages. On paper, it would appear that the lot of Indian women in the
twenty-first century has vastly improved but, in reality, the demands of
capitalism and the persistence of patriarchal attitudes have meant that they
continue to lead lives that are hard and unequal, especially when compared to
their male counterparts.

Indian women are among the most overworked in the world?they spend on
average 299 minutes on housework and 134 minutes on caregiving per day,
shouldering 82 per cent of domestic duties. They are burdened with work from
such a young age that many are forced to drop out of schools, leave the
labour force, and give up dreams of financial independence. For those who
have the privilege of choosing to have a career, the only way they can make
this viable is by doing the ?double shift?: women are expected to do most of
the housework, childcare, and caregiving, whether they have jobs or
not.

While these problems apply to all women across the country, those in
India?s middle class face an altogether unique challenge because middle-class
families have mastered the art of simulating an environment of empowerment in
their homes. Lies Our Mothers Told Us: The Indian Woman?s Burden takes a
close look at the gender inequality that forms the bedrock of India?s middle
class?this forces women try and be ?superwomen? while ignoring the
deleterious effects on their mental and physical health. Using available data
and anecdotal evidence from the real lives of Indian women across the
country, journalist Nilanjana Bhowmick asks if, in our patriarchal society,
the assertion that ?women can have it all? comes at too high a price.