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Labour Pains

Leave a Comment / Articles / Nitasha Akerman

Invisible labour, as work which is unpaid and minimally recognised, has been a hot topic for a while and something more comprehensively explored, given the increased number of women in the workforce today. Invisible labour is still an issue today with the amount of work outside of paid employment that people still have to complete. Previously I have written about “the grind” and “the hustle culture” which is rampant in society, where the style of how we work is to be juggling a bunch of things related to work and including work in order to get ahead and achieve. Whilst there is this shift towards considering mental health and wellbeing, what I feel is not being included in our work model when considering work-life balance is the work which people are required to do at home, for themselves and their family. A lot of people seem to be experiencing this prioritisation of work over many other things in life. Paid work is definitely a priority but at times it feels as though it’s not a choice for many people, and it appears as though the rest of life gets left behind. Previously more women stayed at home to complete most of the standard household chores like cooking, washing, cleaning, groceries, errands, child care and other caring responsibilities to say the least. Whilst this has shifted to more women working in paid roles today the amount of invisible work remains. Perhaps in some instances in a two-person relationship it is more convenient if there is one person who undertakes paid work and the other who looks after unpaid work. However, it is such a complex issue to consider as most people today can’t afford to not work and a number of people actually want to work to do something that they are passionate about, outside of a home and family life. The question still remains as to how to manage a genuine work-life balance today, considering the increased expectations from paid work, outside of paid work activities related to work, social and family life, exercise and wellbeing, leisure, chores, life administration and other general tasks. A lot has been discussed about moving towards a 4-day work week, where some countries around the world have put this to trial. Naturally I hear a lot of praise for this model and seeing people being all for it. Having an extra day off work can be really valuable, considering if salaries were to remain the same. The amount of times I have said and have heard other people say “if only I had an extra day on the weekend…”. Having this extra day would mean I could invest a lot more in consistent cleaning, chores and the endless life administration which I cram into my weekday evenings; so that I can have more of a break on the weekends, and not spend the entire weekend racing around. It would be ideal to being able to slow down, work meaningfully, effectively and enjoy.

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Our Roaring Twenties

There is such an emphasis on youth and our twenties being the best time of our lives. Our twenties are meant to be filled with friends, dating, freedom from responsibility, partying and travelling. Even if this were true and that’s actually what happens it’s such a depressing thought having such a short period of our lives being dedicated to being the “best”. Then what happens after that, is it all just downhill from there? The concept feels so limiting and boring. In my reality my twenties have been a pretty rough time and generally underwhelming. I don’t think I’m alone in this experience. I remember watching a guy on YouTube who posted about what our twenties are really about. He mentions how lots of us are trying to figure out what we even want to do with our lives and recovering from childhood traumas. I got lucky with knowing what I wanted to do as a career and how to pursue it but I recognise that not everyone is so lucky; in fact most people don’t have it that easy in knowing what they want or how to purse it. As I near the end of my twenties I look over the past decade and realise how it has been filled with trying to get my foot in the door and establish myself in my career and predominantly healing from past traumas. My late teen years were filled with going out, dating and partying however that did die down pretty quickly. Reality kicked in where it was clear I needed to get moving on studying and creating my own career path. I also had to invest so much in mental health and wellness. The dating space was awkward and well below par. I feel as though when a lot of us are introduced to dating and relationships were are not sure what we want and the whole thing is such an odd experience, that many of us end up navigating a bit blindly. Throughout this time often we figure out a lot more about what we want, don’t want and what we won’t put up with. If my twenties was meant to be this liberating and enjoyable time then it has been a real disappointment. I’m in a position now where I live out of the family home, I’m settling in full time work and I’ve made some meaningful, close friendships. I have clear goals for the future, I know more about what type of people to surround myself with and I’m excited for the prospects of meaningful travel with where humanitarian work will take me. The possibilities for people having children, joy and fulfillment within a career or even travelling and celebrating when we are older, does this all become somehow unexciting and not as enjoyable? The pressure to enjoy our twenties as if it’s the only good time in our lives is limiting and wrong. There is joy and pain in every period of our lives and I think we should always be excited by that.