Whether or not to consider the domestic work done by women to compute national income has been a topic of discussion among economists for long. Most arguments would go against such a move. But one should not ignore the fact that women tend to have a higher tendency to save. The government’s proposal to transfer a part of men’s salaries to the bank accounts of their wives may not change things much but it will lead to a slight improvement in the overall family savings.
Tinu Iype Jacob , Alappuzha
Minister Krishna Tirath’s proposal may be appreciated as an attempt to assign an economic value to women’s domestic labour. But is it possible to measure a woman’s love and care for her family? In lower income groups, women handle multiple roles from dawn to dusk. They work at home, on farm lands, construction site, etc. But their income is taken away by their menfolk who spend it on their pleasure and entertainment without contributing anything to the family. The government should do something for such women by getting them at least a small share from their husbands’ income. Instead of asking a man to pay his wife, the state can provide women a source of income (within the home) which they can earn independently of their husbands.
ADVERTISEMENT
The government’s proposal is welcome. It will certainly help housewives overcome their feeling of worthlessness which they develop at some point of life. It will reduce the self-pity women develop in the later part of their lives.
It cannot be said that women love to serve their family without any expectations. The least they expect is appreciation. But women hardly receive any word of praise from their husband and children. Most women are taken for granted. Let us get rid of the thinking that women are meant to serve and men are meant to provide and protect.
ADVERTISEMENT
B. Hemamalini,Bangalore