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We live in a world that has been shaped over time predominantly by male perspectives, a world where women have always had to fight to carve out their own space and name. The corporate environment is no exception to this. Within our hustle culture, where relentless productivity and tiring work hours are glorified, women are expected to meet standards not designed for them. Suppose we imagine a 70-hour work week becoming the norm in corporate spaces; have we considered what this might mean for women doubly jeopardized by professional demands and household responsibilities?

While acknowledging that it will mentally impact all genders irrespectively, we all know that men may at least consider such a hectic schedule. However, many women simply cannot, not because of a lack of ambition or capability but because they are already balancing multiple unpaid roles that society has placed upon them and expects them to fulfill. For women, the home becomes an unofficial workplace where they are often expected to keep everything running smoothly, be it cooking, cleaning, caregiving, or without a pause. This added layer of labor stays invisible to many who advocate for a 70-hour work week. These people never think of time poverty, which women have to deal with in their day-to-day lives.

What happens when women push back against such expectations and point out that such schedules are incompatible with their realities? They risk being accused of playing the victim card! People who are in favor of 70 70-hour work week may now argue that women are missing an opportunity to prove that they can "hustle" just as hard as men. However, what is overlooked in this debate is that we still live in a patriarchal world where men will be men and women will be women, not by choice but by norms!

What Does 70 Hours Look Like?

Let's look at two examples to show how unrealistic a 70-hour work week is for women: For this to occur, either employees work 10 hours every single day, or they work 14-hour days from Monday to Friday, with weekends "off." Now, if we take the second scenario, a woman who must work 14 hours a day still needs to sleep for at least 8 hours to function. Only two hours are left every day! Two hours to care for her family, cook, clean, commute, and maybe even take a break. Do we even view this as practical?

And what about postpartum mothers? These women are already dealing with many challenges that range from physical recovery to sleep deprivation and the emotional demands of caring for a newborn. In many cases, societal expectations often compound these struggles. Their in-laws and husbands may expect these women, and even coworkers, to demonstrate that they are "good mothers" in addition to being excellent professionals. A 70-hour work week would be nothing short of punishing for them.

Then there are women with disabilities. We must realize that navigating a world that was designed primarily with able-bodied individuals in mind is already time-consuming and exhausting. Whether commuting to work, accessing basic amenities, or even completing daily tasks, these women require more time than their able-bodied counterparts. Have those advocating for a 70-hour work week considered these realities? Have they ensured that workplaces and infrastructure are inclusive enough to support everyone, regardless of their circumstances?

The Mental Health Toll

It is impossible to undervalue the psychological toll that a 70-hour workweek takes on women. In the patriarchal world, women are already expected to embody the "good woman" stereotype, a woman who can manage work and home effortlessly without complaining. Then comes the pressure of the glass ceiling, which still limits many women from achieving higher positions in many corporate organizations. A 70-hour work week is only going to widen this gap; women who are unable to achieve these unreasonable expectations will be written off as unambitious or undeserving of career development in comparison to males.

In her seminal work, The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan discusses the concept of "the problem that has no name. In this, she talks about the dissatisfaction and unfulfilled potential of homemakers in the 1950s, who were told that their worth was solely based on their ability to keep a perfect home and raise perfect children. While the specifics have changed with the changing times, the essence of this problem remains. Today, women are expected to excel at home and match men in the corporate race. A 70-hour work week will bring back this "problem" in a new form and will leave women mentally and emotionally drained, questioning their worth and capabilities.

Research indicates that women subjected to extended working hours are at a heightened risk of developing mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and burnout. A study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health found that women working extra-long hours experienced increased depressive symptoms (Weston et al., 2019). Also in such cases, women who seek help may be labeled as weak or incapable, further alienating them in workplaces that fail to recognize the human cost of such demands.

The Intersectional Perspective

We must acknowledge that not all women experience these difficulties similarly. Kimberlé Crenshaw defines the term "intersectionality" by discussing how various oppressions overlap and make problems harsher for people of different backgrounds. Women from marginalized socioeconomic origins, women of color, and queer women may encounter extra obstacles that make a 70-hour workweek even more impractical for them.

We all know that queer women already face prejudice and under-representation in the workplace. For them, the increased pressure of a 70-hour work week could mean losing over the limited spaces of safety and community they have carved out for themselves over time. Similarly, women from lower-income backgrounds may not be able to afford paid help for household chores, which will further make the balancing act even more difficult. Moreover, the mental health cost of all of this is something that we all know.

The Larger Picture: Is It Worth It?

If we advocate for a 70-hour work week, we must ask ourselves what our ultimate goal is. Is it increased productivity, economic growth, or some distant idea to outpace other countries? Furthermore, how much are we sacrificing in order to accomplish these goals? In this case, a quote by Feminist author Audre Lorde fits very well, in which she says, "The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house." So, the need of the hour is to question whether adopting patriarchal standards of success, such as tiresome work schedules, will ever lead to true equality.

The Way Forward: Solutions Through a Gender Lens

To redevelop work culture from a feminist perspective where everyone, irrespective of their gender, thrives, we need to recognize and then address the systemic issues that women often encounter in these settings. Remote work and flexible scheduling can be one of the ways for employees to balance their personal and professional lives. Also, the inclusive infrastructure coupled with proper mental health support would ensure that the workplace is well equipped to fulfill the needs of all employees, men and women alike. It is high time that we get over the hype surrounding the hustle culture and establish a work culture that prioritizes sustainable solutions over tiresome work schedules. There is a need for a policy reform to fix number of working hours to ensure sound mental well-being and efficient productivity of all employees. Beyond policies, we ought to collectively question where the ideals of hustle culture come from. True success lies in workplaces prioritizing employees' mental health over unrealistic output.

Conclusion

Although 70 hours may be a great solution that can make India a prosperous nation and take us ahead of others, what we forget is that it also has the potential to open Pandora's box for all of us. In a world that is already skewed towards women, 70-hour workweek is only going to serve as a roadblock to their growth and freedom. We must recognize that what we seek is a patriarchal ideal of success. Let us aim towards creating a society where everyone, irrespective of gender, can prosper without sacrificing their dignity, personal lives, and mental health. I would love to end it with a quote by Simon de Beauvoir, "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman." So, it is a time that we allow let women define themselves on their own terms without caring about fitting in a system that was never designed for them.

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