Ariel and BBDO return for fifth edition of Share the Load campaign

Over the last 7 years, Ariel India has continuously sparked conversations around the unequal division of domestic chores within households and urging more and more men to #ShareTheLoad. In the spirit of keeping this conversation going and furthering the cause of equality within households, Ariel launched the #SeeEqual film, to inaugurate the 5th edition of ShareTheLoad. By raising a pertinent question – “if men can share the load equally with other men, why are they not doing it with their wives?”, Ariel is urging men to be equal partners playing Equal roles. Because when we see equal, we #ShareTheLoad.

During the lockdown, everyone got confined to their homes which transformed into offices, schools, playgrounds overnight. So many men took to household chores actively and proudly- be it cleaning, cooking or laundry. And while this trend faded as the pandemic eased out, it established that men are open to change and can take up chores when needed.

Ariel's new film- See Equal raises this pertinent question to men. The reason for this disparity could be many but it was alarming to find that 80 per cent women believe their partners know how to do household tasks but choose not to do them. The same men, who chose to take up household chores when living with other men, are not doing their share of work in the house with their wives. This ‘choice’ signaled a mindset issue arising from years of unconscious bias, and 83 per cent women felt that men don’t see women as equal when it comes to housework. By raising a pertinent question – “if men can share the load equally with other men, why are they not doing it with their wives?”, Ariel is reminding families, that true equality is only reflected when domestic chores are shared. Because when we SEE EQUAL, we SHARE THE LOAD!

Additionally, a new study by an independent third party revealed a startling fact - 73* per cent men agreed that they did their share of household chores when they were staying with other men or roommates. So, if men have taken responsibility of chores in the past, what stops them from doing this as partners?

The film is about a woman, who visits the neighbours with her husband. Looking at the two men go about their morning tasks in complete harmony and both contributing equally, she points this out to her husband. The man casually recollects how he used to split all chores back in the day with his college roommate. This incident, along with a few more, make the woman realise that she is not being seen and treated as an equal. After mulling over it, she takes a stand for herself and shares her realisation with her husband, demanding to be seen as an equal. This conversation makes the husband realise, who vouches to drop his bias and ShareTheLoad.

The film is fully reflective of the reality of today’s times. On one hand, the woman refuses to accept inequality in her marriage, and on the other, it depicts what men are capable of and how it is that they are changing. The neighbours in the film could be roommates, friends, brothers or in a relationship themselves, but irrespective of their relationship, they represent the men of today who are open to change. While there are many men who have started to do more, a lot of them even take up their full share of responsibilities within the home and ShareTheLoad equally. This is possible only when they See Equal.