Australian woman sparks massive debate on cultural differences between India and the West. Find out why

An Australian woman has sparked a debate on social media after posting a video on Instagram discussing cultural differences between India and the West, particularly Indian professionals’ dependence on domestic help for household chores.

She also mentioned that people in India lack work-life balance.

What did the Australian woman say?

Along with the video, Bree Steele, a podcast producer, wrote in her Instagram post: “Chores? Hardly know ‘em! This is one of the least talked-about cultural differences between India and the West.”

Comparing daily life in India with the West, Steele said that in the West, most people manage cooking and household chores alongside full-time jobs.

But, in India, most families have domestic workers for such tasks. “I don’t cook or clean in India. Chores? I don’t know them,” she said in her video.

“Most middle-class to wealthy households in India have house help. Most people have someone who does their cleaning, maybe their washing and cooking,” she added.

Steele further said: “I was like, that’s what we do in the west. We do everything ourselves with full-time jobs.”

Acknowledging that Indian professionals work for longer hours as compared to their counterparts in the West, the podcast producer said: “Over time, I’ve observed that my friends get work calls at like 9.30 in the night, and there’s no work-life balance here. The expectation on corporate workers is just so high that if you’re single, of course you don’t have time to do your own cooking and cleaning (sic).”

“And for better or for worse, labour is cheap in India, so it makes sense that everyone has their own house help,” she added.

Concluding her video, Steele admitted that she feels “ashamed” at how much she enjoys not having to cook or clean every day.

Social media reactions

In reaction to Steele’s video, users on social media were divided. While some agreed with her, others expressed different opinions.

“What a keen observation and so well expressed, my girl!! It’s really not talked about enough, but you’ve nailed both sides!!!”

“Don’t forget, y’all have machines: dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, etc. Also, it’s very dusty here, so we have to clean our floors every day.”

“Sometimes I feel we have it easy in India, and yet I don’t know why we keep chasing Western standards. But maybe it’s because we’ve always seen the glamourised end of it, never the hard-hitting reality. Thanks for putting it out here. I hope you’re having fun in India.”

“As someone who grew up in India with so-called privileges and then moved to the West and does all the chores, I’ll pick the West every single time. Despite the chores, I still have a LOT of spare time that I spend on my hobbies and health. Despite all the help in India, I lived an unhealthy and tired life.”

“This can only happen in a country with massive income inequality, high levels of poverty, high population, and poor regulation.”