Ungendering domestic work

Ungendering domestic work

Santosh Kumar is 22 years old. He lives with his parents and two younger siblings, a younger brother and a sister in Kothigaon village, Gariyaband district of Chhattisgarh. Santosh’s parents are farmers and Santosh works as a mason to support his family. He joined the Kothigaon youth group in 2017 of Lok Astha Sewa Sansthan, Oxfam India Partner and regularly attends the meetings. 

Since joining the youth group Santosh narrates the changes that he is experiencing in his life “I was least bothered about how my mother was managing the farm work and the household chores. Now, I understand how difficult it has been for her to manage things without any support. Now I wash the clothes of the family members and also clean the house.” Not only this, Santosh prepares his sister and brother and sends them to school.

Sustaining the changes were not easy for Santosh, as his friends and neighbours ridiculed him. But determined Santosh questioned his friends and neighbours – “If I do not do my household chore of my family, will you do it for us?”  Santosh recounts, “It took some time for my friends and neighbours to accept the reform in me, but now they no longer ridicule me. More than anything else, my family and especially my mother is the happiest person to see a changed Santosh.”

Santosh also encouraged his friends to join the group and today about 8 of his friends who joined the group have started their journey of bringing in positive social norms.


Gender Justice

We campaign to change patriarchal mindsets that influence violence against women  

Read More

Related Stories

India Discrimination Report

06 Oct, 2021

Kolkata

Mission Sanjeevani Breathes Life Into A Stifled Health System

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed serious gaps in India’s health system, primarily stemming out of the low spending on health at 1.2% of the GDP. Caught off-guard, as the second wave peaked and more th

Read More

Education

05 Oct, 2021

Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh

Suman Devi: Inspiring Mohalla Classes in Raebareli

In the last 18 months, when schools were closed, teachers were roped in for Covid duty.

Read More

India Discrimination Report

01 Oct, 2021

Nalanda, Bihar

Well-Armed Health Workers in Bihar's Nalanda

The criss-cross lanes of Dehra Daldali village (Harnaut block, Nalanda district) will lead you to Ruby Devi’s home.

Read More

Education

23 Sep, 2021

Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh

Mohalla Classes to Tide through the Pandemic

Seventeen year old Kavita Jaiswal has been teaching children in her neighbourhood in Kallu Ka Purwa hamlet in the Raebareli town area since June 2020. She runs what is called a mohalla school.

Read More