Unpaid care work as a driver of domestic violence?

05 Aug 2021

Unpaid care work as a driver of domestic violence?

05 Aug 2021

BY Nethmini Medawala Chithra pays attention to her son’s class while doing laundry and making lunch. He proudly said that his father is a businessman, before lowering his voice to say, “Amma (mother) doesn’t work, teacher, she is at home”. Chithra felt a rush of emotions. She was shocked, embarrassed, and saddened. This wasn’t the first time. For the last five years, her husband, parents, in-laws, neighbours say that she doesn’t work – “she stays at home”. Despite all her efforts to run her household, she is referred to as someone who is at home, “doing nothing”! The family is the primary unit through which people are cared for and nurtured. Women continue to play a key role in sustaining and supporting life within their homes. Gender norms, especially in conservative societies, have placed an unreal and unfair expectation on women to prioritise their families well-being over other aspirations. In this context, women have come to bear the brunt of unpaid care work, which is often unappreciated and undervalued. Does this unrecognised and overlooked unpaid care work make women more susceptible to abuse and domestic violence? This article explores the possible relationship between unpaid care work and domestic violence in Sri Lanka. First, it explains how prevalent domestic violence is, in conservative societies such as ours. Second, it examines how the expectation placed on women to carry out care work creates an enabling environment for domestic violence. Finally, the article draws from regional studies, and evaluates the possible impact that unpaid care work has on domestic violence. According to the Census and Statistics Department, one in every five women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in Sri Lanka. The same 2019 survey observed how normalised violence against women in Sri Lanka is. Approximately 35% of the participants agreed that men can have a good enough reason to hit their wives. Also, 44.1% of women with no education, and 42.4% of women with primary education agreed that men may be justified in hitting their wives. Internalised gender stereotypes, misogyny, and patriarchal values in societies like ours perpetuate the belief that men are always superior, and that the role of a woman is always to be subservient. Among the many instances in which this stereotype is perpetuated, the requirement that women attend to care work within a household remains the most common. It is believed that by doing so, women support and equip men to play an active role in society. Globally, a majority of women engage in child care, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and farming. A 2017 survey reported that 86.4% of girls above the age of 10 participated in care work in Sri Lanka. Only 54% of boys in the same category engaged in such activities. According to Oxfam, globally, unpaid care work is equivalent to 1.5 billion people working for eight hours a day, without wages, every day. Unfortunately, this labour intensive essential component of daily life that contributes to the national economy, is unremunerated, unquantified, and unacknowledged. The not so subtle pressure put on women to engage in unpaid care work as an obligatory duty deprives women from engaging in paid work. It results in women having to spend an important part of their day meeting the expectations of their domestic and reproductive roles. Had this role been recognised as economically viable work, it can empower them to make decisions for themselves and live with respect and financial independence. When these crucial contributions are overlooked and believed to be merely a part of “womanhood”, women who undertake the responsibility of this work are deemed unworthy of respect. Such loss of respect then affects her self esteem and dignity. Since unpaid care work is central to a woman’s sense of selfhood and ascribed identity, it shapes the power dynamics of the household. Inequalities in power and resources make women more vulnerable within a marriage. Imbalanced power dynamics area root cause for violence. According to sociologist Evan Stark, ‘men who abuse women, specifically target aspects of gender inequality – housework, caretaking, and sexual service’. Coercive control is built on the expected role of a woman’s daily conduct. Several studies have been undertaken in India and Bangladesh in the last decade to ascertain the relationship between unpaid care work and domestic violence. While the abuse itself does not manifest differently in these countries, the patriarchal culture – where violence against women and subordination of women are normalised – makes women engaging in unpaid care work vulnerable to violence. Narratives from rural and urban India and Bangladesh suggest that the non performance or poor performance of unpaid care work was a trigger for violence against women. An Oxfam study found that men’s defense for violence was often based on their belief that women only had to cook, and clean in India. The belief that a woman’s duty towards the household and family is her prime responsibility appears to be deeply entrenched. The perceived role of the woman in Sri Lanka is no different to its South Asian counterparts. Patriarchal values shape gender relations in Sri Lankan society. Women continue to be seen as “dependent wives”, and household work is seen as “women’s work” – a norm that many women too tend to internalise. The root cause of domestic violence against women relate to the undervaluing and presumed subordination of women. Unpaid care work is not recognised by society as real work. This lack of recognition undervalues women, and as a result, forces them into a role of subordination within a relationship. The power imbalance in a relationship makes women feel weak – physically and mentally. More research is required to statistically support the possible relationship between unpaid care work and domestic violence in Sri Lanka. As more information comes to light, it is hoped that we will come to recognize that economic loss is not the only negative consequence of unpaid care work. (The writer is an Attorney-at-Law. She wishes to acknowledge the contributions by Dr. Gehan Gunatilleke, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Sierra Amarasiri, Mahoshadi Peiris and Stephanie Nicolle)

Kapruka

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!

Unpaid care work as a driver of domestic violence?

Unpaid care work as a driver of domestic violence?

More News..