Why a feminist’s work is never done
Updated On: 17 November, 2023 04:38 AM IST | Mumbai | Rosalyn D`mello
Our never-ending task’s nature instils a resilience that sustains us. To know that the project will remain unfinished becomes a source of hope because it prevents us from sliding into complacency
Listen to this article :
Those of us who commit to feminism are people who arrive at it from the vantage point of our wounds. Representation Pic
My partner took four days off this week, because he had them pending in his leave quota. Instead of travelling somewhere, he decided to invest in a home-based staycation. Instead of taking the time off to do things he might want to do for himself, he has been gifting me his time by assuming my afternoon childcare slot. This has allowed me the unexpected luxury of larger swathes of time to work on things that have been on the backburner, like updating my website, or responding to emails, or catching up on reading that is relevant to essays I’m currently thinking through. It has also helped mitigate the anxiety I would otherwise have felt these last few nights when our apartment has played host to a symphony of coughing sounds emitted by me, our toddler, and my partner. Like half of South Tyrol, we’re sick, too. Knowing I can catch up on sleep during the day, if I need to, or even on work, helps me be more present and offers me the patience and grace I need to soothe our toddler.
Our morning routine remains unchanged. But the fact that he doesn’t need to leave for work and is home managing so many chores usually reserved for me means my time is freed up. You would think this gift of time would offer me the feeling of completion, the high of finally getting things off my to-do list, emptying it out to accommodate new possibilities. Would it surprise you to know that isn’t the case? Especially considering I may have inherited my mother’s uncanny ability to always ‘find’ more work to do, even when everything seems, ostensibly, to be done. This fact, coupled with my feminist inclinations towards forms of activism means I constantly embody the state of being encompassed in the phrase ‘her work is never done’.
Read Next Story
Trending Stories
Latest Photos
Latest Videos
Latest Web Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
Mid-Day Fast
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT