Women are smarter yet are more burdened!

Am I trying to win more women votes? What will I do with those votes, anyways? I am neither politician nor aspiring to be one. In my blog, I can afford to have an opinion, isn’t it? But then if there is a scientific evidence to back something, will you still call it an opinion? Neuroscientists at the University of California, Los Angeles and universities in Madrid, Spain (refer source 1) have found out that despite the fact that women have 8% smaller brains than men, their brains are more efficient, needing fewer neurons and less energy to complete a task. They found that in women the hippocampus, which plays a central role in memory, intelligence and emotion, consumes less energy and uses fewer brain cells on a given task than in men. The study, published in the journal Intelligence, found that women outperformed men in inductive reasoning and some numerical skills. They were also better at keeping track of a changing situation.

So without an iota of doubt, science has proved that women are smarter than men in many ways. So what should have been the natural outcome? Their participation in the visible economy should have increased, right?  Men realising the potential of their better counterparts, should have shared more work at home as women prove to be more than equal in the world outside home! Perceptually we also think this is what has happened, do you agree? 

Yes! Well, think again!  

The findings of the report of National Sample Survey Organization on participation of women in domestic duties are startling. It shows (refer source 2) that despite the hype, more women are remaining home-bound doing domestic duties than a decade ago, even though a large of them are willing to work. This is true both for rural and urban areas. In rural areas, the share of women mainly doing domestic duties hovered around the 35% mark between 1999-2000 and 2004-05, but increased sharply to over 40% in 2009-10; in urban areas this rose from 45% to 48%. Among the home-bound non-working women over 15 years old 19% in rural areas and 18% in urban areas said that they would like to work from home.

Alas!

So women are smarter, yet more burdened! Why do you think this happens? The answer is hidden behind the varied psyche of men and women.

Women instinctively think they have to take care!

Women’s ability to be better at inductive reasoning and assessment of changing situation  results in them instinctively take to caring for family better than men. This coupled with motherhood, makes them automatically take to household work when the option is to do or keep things unmanaged. Society also puts the responsibility of taking care of home, family and kids on women. In short, women have no choice.

Men at best think that they help!

Despite the fact that the number of chivalrous men have increased over the years,  even those who share the household work think that they are helping. Help! which means that the basic assumption is still that the household work is women’s domain. This is the problem.

So what does it leave women with? More work at home, fewer choices and tougher years ahead. The only hope is their brain, that without doubt is sharper and smarter. Happy Women’s Day brave ladies!

(Sources: 1. Women have more efficient brains than men, The Telegraph, U.K. March 3, 2013;

2. More women stay home, do housework than 10 yrs ago, The Times of India, March 2, 2013)