Antropologia
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Has COVID-19 led to a more equitable division of labor in South Indian households?

Adith P Reddi

Due to cultural reasons, women have traditionally done the bulk of the household work in South Indian homes.  The COVID-19 crisis however has forced both spouses to be in the house all the time. This paper examines how the household roles have changed since the beginning of the crisis, and how these roles may continue to shift in the aftermath. In this paper, 960 married employees from software companies headquartered in Hyderabad and Bangalore were surveyed. Their responses were analyzed to assess changes in traditional household roles. Our findings support our thesis that the COVID-19 lockdown is leading to a more equitable distribution of labor. This is true for all household chores studied, including cooking, cleaning, and taking care of children. Follow-up studies will need to assess whether these changes are temporary or not.