A gender advocate, Adetoun Dally, has urged families to share childcare and household duties to ease the growing pressure on working mothers.
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Ms Dally, immediate past president of Women Community in Africa and founder of Children Impact and Development Initiative, an NGO, made the call in an interview on Friday in Abuja.
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‎She said changing economic realities, which increasingly require both spouses to contribute financially to the family, should also encourage a corresponding shift in how household responsibilities are shared.
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‎According to her, it is unfair for women who work full-time to return home and carry most of the domestic responsibilities alone.
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Ms ‎Dally stressed the need for couples to discuss their individual circumstances and develop practical arrangements for sharing chores, childcare and other family responsibilities.
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‎She noted that the failure to address the imbalance could expose working mothers to excessive stress and burnout, with possible consequences for their mental wellbeing and family stability.
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‎“Many women are stressed out; they burn out and suffer from the burden of managing work and family responsibilities,” she said.
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‎The gender advocate identified parenting practices as one of the factors contributing to the unequal distribution of household duties between men and women.
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‎She said boys were often raised with the expectation that domestic chores were primarily for girls, who were traditionally prepared for marriage and homemaking.
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‎Ms Dally, therefore, advocated raising boys and girls with similar life skills, including cooking, cleaning and caring for themselves, saying this would promote responsible and independent adults.
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‎She urged parents to teach boys to respect hard work and understand that domestic responsibilities should not be determined by gender.
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‎“Boys should be raised to handle household chores and develop survival skills so that they can function independently in their personal homes,” she said.
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‎Ms Dally also called for workplace policies that would reduce the pressure long working hours and shifts put on mothers, particularly those with young children.
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‎She expressed concern about situations where children remained in schools for extended periods because their parents were still at work.
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‎The advocate recommended improved access to workplace crèches and childcare facilities, especially for organisations where employees work long hours or shifts.
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‎She said placing childcare facilities close to workplaces could help parents combine their professional responsibilities with adequate care for their children.
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‎Ms Dally further urged employers and policymakers to consider family-friendly working arrangements that would protect the wellbeing of both parents and children.
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‎She maintained that supporting working mothers was not solely a women’s issue but a collective responsibility that required the participation of husbands, families, employers and society.
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‎The gender advocate said a fairer distribution of domestic responsibilities would ultimately promote healthier families and create a more balanced society. 

(NAN)