Delhiwale: A measure of her hours

Tasleema juggles laundry, cooking, and work at a library while supporting her family in a small Delhi home, reflecting the struggles of many working women.

By the time Tasleema leaves for her day-job, she has already done the laundry, cooked two meals, washed the dishes, and put her house in order. Tasleema lives in a one-room house in Central Delhi with her mother and daughter. She is the family’s primary earner and works at a public library, a job that takes seven hours of her day.

Delhiwale: A measure of her hours

Much of her work also happens before she arrives at office and after she returns home. In that, her life resembles those of many citizens, especially women, who are obliged to exhaust themselves as much in office work as in household chores.

This schedule was recorded during her daughter’s summer holidays, when routines shift slightly. Tasleema points out she is not managing alone. Her brother, who lives nearby, recently contributed to buying a cooler for the house.