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Patriarchy in Action: Don't Nag Your Husband During Lockdown

 
 
 
Don2 (Don1 Revised)

Don2 (Don1 Revised)

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https://www.npr.org/2020/04/01/8250...-lock-down-malaysias-government-advises-women

Malaysia has the largest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia with more than 2,900 and counting. This week, Malaysia's government also had a serious public relations issue after an ill-conceived plan went online.

Malaysia's Ministry for Women, Family and Community Development issued a series of online posters on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #WomenPreventCOVID19. It advised the nation's women to help with the country's partial lockdown by not nagging their husbands.

The ministry also advised women to refrain from being "sarcastic" if they asked for help with household chores. And it urged women working from home to dress up and wear makeup.
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I can kind of understand why they would make the posts regarding nagging and sarcasm. It strikes me as a concern over domestic violence during prolonged periods stuck at home together. That does not reduce the sexism or make it better, but I would kind of understand the motive if that were true. The dressing up for working from home thing?

[edit]Maybe I misunderstood. Maybe they were saying just dress up nice at home in general, like those old school guides for women being good homemakers for their men or something. It's not entirely clear. Some of the posts have since been deleted, and I can't read the versions I can find.[/edit]

Apparently one of the posts advised women to speak to their husbands using a voice/ tone like Doreamon's--a popular Japanese manga/ anime robot cat from the future (first anime run from the early 70s).

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Toni said:
What sort of instructions were left for the men?
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I suspect none. Which is not to say that certain advice is unwarranted regardless of sex, gender, or any other *morphisms.

I have been thinking a lot lately about how to make it easier for me and my husband to exist at home together without having things go south.

No nagging is important, but I think that it was fucked to just direct it at wives; husbands nag too. Not mine so much, but there are occasions we have both nagged each other.

As I mean, I think it's important to work together on meals during this time, too, and refrain from most general manners of negativity that are more prone otherwise to arise in domestic settings. Honestly, my biggest fear is for those who are the victims of abuse no longer having even the respite of a daily grind to bring their abusers out of their lives for a time in whatever way.

I worry about my own relationship in this time.

Edit: But yeah, it's pretty patriarchal to just make this kind of statement assuming the party that needs correction for "nagging" is the wife. Can I ask if any advice from the original context was given for husband's or was it solely directed at the wives?

It really looks like it was directed at the wives solely but was there a similar campaign directed at men? How was it directed if there was?

The gendering of the advice though is just inane.

I mean, I can imagine a few posters here who would be utterly IRATE if there was a "husband" campaign about "don't beat your wives in this time of hard troubles".

Personally I think the advice should be "don't be abusive, physically or emotionally, with your spouse. All family members have a responsibility to be kind and easy to live with in these times. (Avoid sarcasm/nagging/yelling/spending excessively/drinking excessively/getting enraged by punditry/overreacting to perceived slights, etc.)"
 
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