New Delhi, Sept. 13 -- For as long as I can remember, my mother's day began before my father's-and ended long after his. Over the years, I realized this wasn't just my home. It was a pattern I saw repeating across countless Indian households. Married women, especially those with children, seemed to have days that never truly ended.

Even when men woke up early, they often had the liberty to dedicate that time to themselves-morning walks, gym sessions, quiet reading. For women, mornings almost always began chaotic inside the kitchen-cooking breakfast, packing tiffins, ensuring everyone else's day was set in motion. And while men often wrapped up their days soon after dinner, women's work stretched on-arranging the kitchen, cleaning the sur...