Bollywood Film Sparks Debate on Gender Roles in Domestic Work

A new Bollywood film, "Mrs," has reignited discussions about gender roles and unequal domestic labor distribution in India, where women spend significantly more time on unpaid work. Despite slight improvements in employment, deep-rooted societal norms continue to enforce traditional roles.

The recent Bollywood film "Mrs" sheds light on the unchanging reality of domestic responsibilities in India, where well-educated women often find themselves primarily responsible for unpaid household work. The film’s protagonist, married to a gynaecologist, embodies the struggle of juggling endless cooking, cleaning, and childcare duties, all while her own aspirations are overshadowed by silent critiques and societal pressure.

This narrative, inspired by the acclaimed Malayalam movie "The Great Indian Kitchen," has provoked widespread conversation but also backlash, particularly from men's rights groups on social media. The film's themes resonate with empirical data from a recent government study revealing that Indian women devote more than seven hours daily to unpaid domestic and caregiving activities—over twice as much time as men spend on similar tasks. Women are recorded to dedicate 289 minutes to domestic chores and 137 minutes to caregiving, while men average only 88 minutes on chores and 75 minutes on care activities.

Moreover, the survey indicated that women's participation in paid work has seen a nominal increase, contrasting with the slight decrease in their domestic workload. As revealed in the second edition of India's Time Use Survey (TUS), women aged 15 to 59 have reportedly reduced their unpaid domestic work by a meager ten minutes per day, suggesting limited progress in achieving gender equality at home.

Ashwini Deshpande, an economics professor at Ashoka University, emphasizes the significance of interpreting this data alongside the Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR). This analysis reveals a growth from approximately 23% in 2017-2018 to 37% in 2022-2023, although this increase is attributed partially to economic necessity rather than genuine shifts toward equality in domestic tasks.

Deshpande notes that many women are compelled to undertake both paid jobs and unpaid domestic labor simultaneously—essentially functioning in a "double-shift" scenario. Globally, the discrepancy in the time spent on domestic chores is also apparent. However, in India, the gap is markedly wider, with Indian women spending close to four hours more than men on household work.

Sociologists attribute this imbalance to India's entrenched patriarchal structure, which maintains rigid gender norms even in educated communities. The criticisms aimed at "Mrs" have highlighted societal discomfort with these realities, exemplified by the response from men’s rights activists who claim the film perpetuates negative stereotypes about traditional family setups.

Comedian Kajol Srinivasan shares a poignant observation, reflecting on her father's experience when he assumed full domestic responsibilities while her mother continued working. His initial enthusiasm gave way to the realization that household duties demanded not just time but also an awareness of the power dynamics at play—underscoring how society continues to value the breadwinner's role over domestic contributions.

The disparity in household labor remains a critical issue facing Indian women, with significant social reform appearing slow. In the interim, films like "Mrs" play a crucial role in provoking thought and dialogue around pressing subjects, challenging audiences to confront the uncomfortable truth: the question of who truly handles the dishes remains unresolved.