The Politics of Caretaking

do any job. Deep-rooted prejudice allows gender inequality to persist even after women assume positions of power.

by Abhijit Masih

A new Pew Research study surveying 30,000 adults throughout India found that a majority thought that women and men make equally good political leaders—with 14% saying they make even better leaders. But when the same people were surveyed on the domestic front, they had far more conservative attitudes.

According to the survey, nine-in-ten Indians agree with the notion that a wife must always obey her husband, including nearly 64% who completely agreed with this sentiment. More than a third of adults also felt that child care should be handled by women. This dichotomy between these two attitudes continues to put increased pressure on women politicians across every country.

The prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Arden, one of the most iconic women politicians in the world, recently resigned, citing both burnout and the sacrifices of her partner and young daughter. The popular Amazon Prime series Panchayat reflects the reality of rural areas of India where the actual power of an elected woman candidate is in the hands of the husband. It sheds light on the patriarchal practice where the male counterparts do not believe that their elected wives can

But women in South Asia have already broken the myth of only men being natural leaders. Be it Benazir Bhutto or Indira Gandhi, they have proved to the world that they can be firm and assertive, even when surrounded by an all male cabinet. In the U.S. women like Kamala Harris, Pramila Jayapal, Sadaf Jaffer, Aruna Miller, and Nikki Haley have opened doors for more women of color to participate in politics, but women continue to be outspoken about the challenges of holding a public role amid traditional gender expectations.

Successful women consistently credit having a supportive partner, family, and community, which demonstrates that domestic attitudes must change for women to truly succeed at the highest levels of leadership. Indra Nooyi, former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo admits to the challenges of balancing life as an executive, wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, and a mother, all while meeting her family’s expectations to fulfill traditional duties of a South Indian woman. For her, the solution includes both partners needing to take responsibility for the family. “Family is not female,” she said. “Family is family.”

Maryland’s Lt. Governor Aruna Miller also credits her success to the support she had at home. “When any individual in a family decides to seek public service in the level of elected office, everybody pitches in, everyone is part of that movement,” said Miller. “I’m lucky to have a loving husband and a mom, who’s always been here. When I couldn’t be there, they were there to fill in that gap.”