Invisible Pillars: The Unacknowledged Housewives of India

In the bustling streets of India, behind every door that opens to a home-cooked meal and a tidy living room, there is a woman whose work rarely makes the headlines. She is the housewife — the one who runs the home like an unseen CEO, without salary slips, promotions, or applause.

Her day starts before the city wakes and often ends long after it sleeps. She manages budgets without financial credit, cooks meals without culinary awards, and raises children without certificates of excellence. Society calls it “just staying at home,” but in truth, it’s the relentless labour that keeps families, and in turn the nation, functioning.

The irony? The very backbone of countless households is absent from economic graphs and public recognition. There’s no paid leave, no pension plan, and no public appreciation day. Her contributions are measured not in currency, but in the comfort and stability she gives to those around her.

It’s time to challenge the old narrative. Recognizing housewives is not charity — it’s justice. Acknowledgment is the first step toward dignity. Let’s start counting their work in the way it deserves: as the lifeblood of a home and the silent force behind every success story.

Because behind every thriving household is a woman whose name history may not remember — but whose work shapes it every single day.

— Kritika Sethi