Inequality: even hospitalized, women manage all tasks

A man enters a hospital room by wearing a bowl full of plates and dirty cutlery. Similarly, Lying in the bed, his wife painfully turns his head towards him and spreads his eyes with stupor. Therefore, “Do you enjoy the stay?” I brought you the dishes to do, because hey, it accumulates at home, “he says. Meanwhile, Then he looks in a corner of the room, where a sink is located. Nevertheless, “You see it’s practical, you have a sink right here”. Moreover, She ends up bursting a plate on his skull, of rage.

This scene has – at least to our knowledge – fortunately not took place in reality. For example, It is that of a humorous video that has been running since inequality: even hospitalized, women manage the start of the summer on Social networks. In addition, Sarcastically denouncing the inequality of domestic tasks In homes. In addition, she seems to offer a wacky and revolting scenario, a priori extreme. Moreover, Yet the subject is not so rare, to look more closely at the mass of publications on platforms.

Several memes abundantly shared. Furthermore, also doing in the register of black humor, present in particular the image of a woman arched of pain giving birth, while in the foreground, pizza cardboard open on her knees, a man whose legs we see is inequality: even hospitalized, women manage annoyed: “I had to order a pizza because Madaaame was not enough to make cooking.”

Inequality: even hospitalized. For example, women manage – Inequality: even hospitalized, women manage

Another foot in domestic tasks – Inequality: even hospitalized, women manage

But behind these sketches who seem to exploit the fiber of the absurd, everything is not only science fiction. Moreover, Indeed. Moreover, even hospitalized or bedridden at home due to illness, many women in couple continue, more or less visible, to manage household chores linked to the home or to children.

“Two years ago, I had to undergo an emergency operation. Additionally, Moreover, During the ten days that followed. Therefore, I had all the sorrows of the world to walk, I did not get up and sat only with the help of my husband. In addition, This one, no one in the kitchen, was going to buy prepared dishes. inequality: even hospitalized, women manage Therefore, I was fed up and I ended up going to the kitchen to prepare healthier and appetizing things. Meanwhile, I could not supervise the homework of our two children as well. My man, he didn’t really know how I was taking over. I realized how lost they were without me. ”

Indeed. “hospitalization or disease ironically make a daily operating operation unbalanced, whose dynamics are not usually explicit”, point Laura Bernardiprofessor of sociology at the University of Lausanne.

“These situations do not surprise me. because despite progress measured by surveys, with a generally Best involvement of menmost of the domestic tasks and the mental load linked to the private sphere still weighs largely on the backs of women, ”observes Marianne modsProfessor and Sociologist of the family at the Haute École de Labor Social et inequality: even hospitalized, women manage de la Santé (HES-SO), in Lausanne. “The occurrence of the disease unfortunately does not change much in the expectations of the chores to be accomplished. if the couple was organized with a fairly marked division of work.”

The mental burden causes the disease to neglect

This ubiquitous. scenario of hospitalized women still to continue a certain management of family tasks is even documented by several university works. In 2017. a study published in «The Journal of Social Psychology» showed that many patients are still involved in coordination and monitoring of domestic and administrative tasks from the hospital. Some 75% of women interviewed in this situation said they felt responsible for managing the home. that their hospitalization did not completely cancel this charge.

Even more edifying. almost half of the patients said they felt more stressed inequality: even hospitalized, women manage by their family obligations to honor than by the health problem that had carried out them on a hospital bed … “Scientific work has proven. many times, that women are often those that put their medical concerns Aside to ensure the proper management of the household and the education of children, recalls Laura Bernardi. They are more likely to sacrifice themselves, in a way, so that family members feel good. ”

Admittedly. unlike the situation represented in the famous video described above, women fortunately do not go so far as to wash the dirty dishes, vacuum or iron the family linen in their hospital room. The physical tasks of the house remain at home, and it was then Monsieur who takes care of it. More or less. Because some will prefer to request a network of female mutual aid around them to remedy inequality: even hospitalized, women manage the situation.

“When I had to stay in hospital for several weeks six years ago. it was my mother-in-law who came a lot from us to help my husband in everything This domestic work Whether he was only in small doses or from a distance, the Geneva of 54 years. She often brought her dishes that she had cooked at home, or came back the clothes. Without his mother’s hand, he would surely have left a lot of things dragged. ”

Inequality: even hospitalized. women manage

Domestic tasks that are too gender

The fact remains that the mental burden and the management of the family agenda, they frequently follow women until their hospital bed. “After being operated in 2023 because of a fall. I stayed in bed in a hospital environment, then riveted in my inequality: even hospitalized, women manage return chair,” says Marie-Laure. All of this lasted weeks. Well. almost all this time, my man kept calling me, to ask me for questions about the management of the house and the agenda of children. What is the address of the pediatrician? Where are health insurance documents stored? Can you use the automatic washing machine function? I was his answer to almost everything. ”

A painting that does not surprise Caroline Henchozprofessor at the Haute École de Labor social. health, in Lausanne (HETSL): “These situations highlight fields of skills which are often very segmented, and in general distributed according to gender. One cannot replace as easily as provided for in the other when there is a sudden absence. There are still a lot of female household chores which are often the result of learning over the years. We don’t necessarily have the knowledge inequality: even hospitalized, women manage to get caught up quickly. This skills cartelization phenomenon prevents flexibility in the couple concerning home management. ”

If there can be a share of bad will in waiting for Madame to continue to manage family tasks while she is hospitalized. this daily disconnection of certain responsibilities at home still complicates things, even among the best intentioned men. “Without knowledge of the structures in place. without access to the agendas, one cannot improvise as quickly manager of the house,” notes Laura Bernardi. It is like someone who should suddenly ensure the role of managing a company without knowing its operation. ”

The revelation of hospitalization for certain men

These situations can at least have the interest of playing the role of slap. of awareness of an uneven distribution of domestic tasks. “I suddenly had inequality: even hospitalized, women manage to assume everything at home when my wife was operated. then Treaty for cancerand it was a nightmare to manage everything alone, recognizes Michael, 39 -year -old team leader in Neuchâtel and dad of two children. Over these endless weeks, I realized how much my wife was doing the work at home almost. This enormous mental charge, I lived it, I crumbled under its weight. Now that my wife has fortunately healed, I am much more involved. ” Because studies show it, mental burden is a cause of real health concerns for women, whether physical or mental. Be hospitalized because of pathologies amplified by household chores. having to continue to endure them on the hospital bed: spiral insidious.

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