A powerful commercial created by Indian detergent company Ariel brings attention to traditional gender roles that are passed down from generation to generation in families around the world and encourages men to take more active roles in their homes.
The commercial is a part of a campaign called #ShareTheLoad, which "shows the impact parents' behaviors and actions in the house have on their children and how men's participation in day-to-day chores can break down larger and problematic gender stereotypes," according to the Huffington Post.
While the woman never conveys stress, viewers can sympathize with her as she rushes from one task to the next.
"I am so sorry," her father says in a voiceover. "Sorry that you have to do this all on your own, sorry that I never stopped you while you were playing house. I never told you that it's not your job alone but your husband's too."
In an extended message, the father apologizes on behalf of dads everywhere for influencing women to believe that juggling all household tasks is solely their responsibility.
"But how could I say (sorry) when I never helped your mom either? And what you saw, you learned," he says. "Your husband must have learned the same thing from his dad. Sorry on behalf of his dad. Sorry on behalf of every dad who set the wrong example."
In the final screen, a message asks viewers, "Why is laundry only a mother's job?"
Josy Paul, chief creative officer of BBDO India, the advertising company that created the #ShareTheLoad campaign, said that the commercial aims to promote "household equality."
"The film is about roles and responsibility, and about setting the right example by being the right role model," Paul told The Economic Times of India. "The film is about ensuring the right message for the next generation, free from prejudice."
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