Actor Sameera Reddy is known for talking about a wide range of issues on her social media, often taking on and breaking myths and stereotypes. She recently put up a photo of her family and tried to tackle the issue of gendered division of labour within the household, where the woman is confined to the nurturing and caregiving role which is often not seen as ‘work’, especially when compared to working men. The actor addressed this by sharing her journey and reiterating that it is important for men to contribute equally in the process of parenting.
The actor started the post by discussing the comments that are generally passed at her by other women, wherein they consider her lucky for being supported by her husband. “Sameera, you are so ‘lucky’ your husband takes care of your child??,” she stated in the caption. “Ladies please note, men participating in the parenting process is normal! It is not just the responsibility of a woman,” she added.
Sameera then spoke about the importance of men to look after their partners. In order to illustrate her point, she gave the example of pregnancy and explained how partners are expected to be sensitive to each other’s needs and understand that it is a journey that the couple embark together. “Akshai doing what he does as a father is teamwork with me and he loves it. Equal parenting. It is your partner’s duty to look after you during pregnancy, be sensitive to your hormonal changes and take equal part in raising his child. So, yes when you decide to get pregnant it isn’t just your journey. It’s his too,” the post read.
She further questioned traditional gender roles, saying it is wrong for men to be solely viewed as breadwinners and women to be burdened with the responsibility of procreating. “Many dads are mindful of this and yes, some are still stuck in the old thought process passed on for generations that men are the breadwinners (and women procreate). So, the men don’t need to really participate?” the actor questioned.
Towards the end of the post, she spoke about the need for systemic change in terms of parenting and perceptions about the same. “It’s families who need to bring up those sons to be independent and realistic to what being a man in a relationship is really all about. And women are not fed to believe that the system cannot change. Yes it can. And it starts right here with you! #imperfectlyperfect,” Sameera wrote.
The 42-year-old actor discusses a variety of issues such as body image, gender, motherhood, importance of self-love and unrealistic beauty standards among others. Her videos often feature her mother-in-law and children. She has over 1.1 million followers.
Sameera was last seen on silver screen when she essayed the role of Lakshmi in 2013 Kannada movie Varadhanayaka.