With homeschooling on the rise, will the responsibility largely fall on women?
With the pandemic on the rise, a large number of children have opted for homeschooling to ensure safety along with keeping up with the education system too. I believe, if it continues to go this way, the responsibility of children’s education will largely fall on women. Children’s responsibilities have always been on the shoulders of the women of the house, despite a large number of them going to work. Men have stereotypically always been out for work or other reasons, making them a little negligible on the part where the education of children is concerned. Certain fathers do not even remember what grade their kids study in. Here, the point is, when going to school was the comparatively chosen option, fathers could still, in some way or the other be held a little responsible as they would drop their kids to school, get their school uniforms or books, etc. Although, literal education of their children, they would barely look after. Mothers are more known for correcting their kids’ homework and school assignments. They would push their children to finish their assignments before going out to play.
On the other hand, now that homeschooling has taken over in all aspects, just like how the women of the house are considered responsible for all the household work, they will now be held responsible for their children’s education too. Although educational matters are nowhere even close to household work, all the educational responsibilities will be shifted on their shoulders too. Even though women work too, household work is ‘apparently’ their job to take care of, the same way, home-schooling has now become a household affair too, which makes the society hold women responsible for the education of their children. Nobody understands how nowadays, all the members get to stay at home all day-all night, which increases the pressure of household work on the women of the house. Rather than feeling the need of men making an effort to contribute towards the education of their children, as always, women are considered largely responsible for the education of their children. In my opinion, as the child is equally belonging to both father and mother, both should make an equal contribution towards his/her education in these difficult times. In fact fathers should understand that mothers are working all day in the household, hence contributing a little extra.
A woman myself,
Shubhangini Shaktawat