A day in the life of a CEO

I'm referring to the woman of the household, whom we learn to emulate and recognize from a young age; "it's what's expected of us," whether it's the role imposed on women, previously referred to as mothers, or the responsibility we acquire from a young age simply for having a uterus. We are taught to care for others. And guess what? She's not alone. According to the figures, the economic value of informal care provided by women is estimated at between $148 billion and $188 billion annually, representing the GDP of medium-sized economies.

📊 The statistics behind these superpowers are clear:

60% of family caregivers are women, and they dedicate an average of 72 hours per week to providing care, without pay or time off.

And things get three times more complicated if you also work, that is, the "double shift," which more than half of the women in the world currently experience.

Now let's analyze a daily routine:

😎 Dawn: Women live between constant vigilance and reality, with a sleep deficit that has accumulated since the birth of their first child, whom they must breastfeed between 8 and 12 times in 24 hours and change diapers approximately half that many times. When the children are a little older, in the morning we only think about snacks, permission slips, school festivals, exams, and what food will be good for them the day after their cold.

Statistical data: Women are more likely to be in charge of organizing or preparing meals, shopping, and other daily tasks that prevent the household from falling apart.

📚 The Quiet Hours (also known as the hours while the children are at school) where she is supposed to relax. Hours in which she dedicates herself to either working or coordinating the household, noticing defects, making short trips like going to the bank, grocery shopping, and doing household chores. During this period, mental preparation for the chaos after school is essential. That is, if you work, you coordinate afternoon activities while you're on your way home, and if you don't, you mentally prepare yourself for the whirlwind of afternoon activities.

Statistical data: 59% of female caregivers report higher emotional stress and depression compared to men.

🚌 The return of the wild ones to life. Homework, extracurricular activities, crafts, and a little screen time. This is where emotional crises erupt; over broken crayons, lost clothes, bad grades and bad days, lack of snacks, personal hygiene checks, or clarity and precision in homework. Now she's a tutor, motivational speaker, and quick snack sommelier. Where each child has their own different version of the same chicken. One with ketchup, another in tacos, and another with only vegetables because they hate the reddish or bluish color in the meat. She survives the whole process, wondering if she should serve vitamin pills for dinner and call it "deconstructed cuisine." Finally, she supervises bath time like a lifeguard at a water park. Someone gets soap in their eye, another complains about the lack of their favorite shampoo, while the bathroom falls back into the black hole of disorder. She ends up soaked, exhausted, and still has bedtime stories to read or some emails to answer.

😴 The Collapse and Contemplation. Finally, each child is in their room contemplating the darkness until nightfall or secretly using their phones. She sits down and analyzes her personal appearance, which has been a mystery since the beginning of the day. Her uniform doesn't resemble what she was wearing at the start of the day, but she made it. The house didn't burn down. The children are alive. And tomorrow, she'll do it all again, with determination and perhaps a little emotional exhaustion.

Is that why we deserve a trophy? 🏆 Recognition? 🎖️ A day of celebration? No. It is necessary to create public policies that allow women to rest when their bodies and minds need it. Innovative solutions are urgently needed to facilitate universal domestic work: efficient household cleaning products, inventions that replace physical labor, software for joint household budget management, programs that simplify the planning and scheduling of daily domestic life, and functional and easily accessible household appliances. Access to safe and convenient food production lines is also crucial, offering diets and meals with individualized nutritional value. Prioritizing women's physical well-being and access to healthcare is equally important, as is providing fast, efficient, and affordable personal care products. It is essential to build houses that are easy to maintain, with clear and user-friendly systems. And, most importantly, we must create professions that offer part-time work or flexible hours.

If this is what we intend to pass on to the next generation of women, we had better value our work and secure a line of economic and technological support.