COO Facebook-Sheryl Sandberg gives a thumbs up to Ariel Sons #ShareTheLoad

Ariel India’s Sons #ShareTheLoad has garnered over 20MM views already, and the world can’t stop talking about it. The latest film released by Ariel India as part of the #ShareTheLoad movement has started a relevant conversation of raising both sons and daughters equally. A thought which has been championed by many women across India and the globe including, very recently, Sheryl Sandberg Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and founder of Leanin.org.

Endorsing this thought, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer and founder of LeanIn.org, Sheryl Sandberg says - “We teach our daughters to stand on their own feet. But we don’t teach our sons to lend a hand.” This is such a powerful ad about how stereotypes get passed on from generation to generation – but now we have the opportunity to change that.” Supporting the film on her Facebook page, the staunch supporter of the #ShareTheLoad movement,  added- “Thank you Ariel India and P&G for showing her that a more equal world would be a better world for all of us.”  She has previously also endorsed the last edition of the movement Dads#ShareTheLoad.

Aiming to address the imbalance when it comes to household chores and the subsequent consequence of many women having to compromise on their aspirations, Ariel India Ariel urges this generation of mothers to raise their children as a generation of equals who #ShareTheLoad. The movement is gaining a massive support from celebrities across the globe including Rajkummar Rao, Patralekha, Sanjeev Kapoor, VVS Laxman, Neha Dhupia, Soha Ali Khan, who all agree that if taught to #ShareTheLoad today, the sons of today become the husbands of tomorrow, who will be prepared and equipped to be equal partners.

Ariel believes in not just raising the issue, but also providing a solution so we can move the society to a more equal tomorrow.  Partnering Ariel in making laundry the face of the movement against this inequality that exists in Indian households, Whirlpool has also joined Ariel India in advocating household equality with the #ShareTheLoad movement "Whirlpool believes in creating happier homes and this is enhanced when family members share household responsibilities. Whirlpool is proud to support Sons #Sharetheload as the campaign's key message is integral to brand Whirlpool's ethos.'' Comments Mr. KG Singh, Vice President - Marketing, Whirlpool India.

Sharing her views on the early success of the film, Sonali Dhawan, Marketing Director and Fabric care Lead, P&G India, shared: “We can see that the campaign is striking a chord. We are seeing an outpouring of personal stories, anecdotes and letters across social media platforms. We garnered 15MM views in just 2 weeks! It goes on to show that the message, the film, and the cause are truly resonating with the audience. Ariel is proud to be at the forefront of converted effort in addressing the inequality at home and move the society to a happier, more equal future. This is just the beginning. “

Unearthing the reality of inequality within households since 2015 with #ShareTheLoad, Ariel continues to raise pertinent questions that make the audience think, introspect and act. In 2015, Ariel raised a very relevant question - ‘Is laundry only a woman’s job?’ to draw attention to the uneven distribution of

domestic chores. With the 2016 ‘Dads #ShareTheLoad’ movement, conversation was aimed at unearthing the reason for the disparity, which is the cycle of prejudice passed down from one generation to the next. And over the years, this has had significant impact with more men today sharing the load than ever before. Though there has been a change in the stereotype, 52% Of Men still think household chores are a woman’s / daughter’s job and ‘outside’ work is man’s / son’s job (this is a significant drop from 79% in 2015).

This year social conversation on household inequality has been escalated to the next level by Ariel India and upheaves an important question– Why are sons brought up differently than daughters? Urging mothers to be the changemakers of the society and hence relook at the way they raise their sons; the film goes deeper into the reasons for this disparity and provides a solution to bring about change.

Of late, daughters are being raised to be strong, independent and confident to excel in all fields.  But they continue to be the primary caretakers of households once they get married. This places unbalanced expectations and burdens on them, which can get in the way of their professional growth. While the society is changing, there is not always enough attention given to raising sons differently. Infact an independent research done in 2018 shows that 70% Of Women reconsider additional responsibilities at work in order to balance responsibilities at home. Hence, Ariel is showing the way to break these barriers by urging this generation of mothers, to raise the next generation as equals. Ariel strives to achieve happier households, where men and women both share the load.