The world has watched in various degrees of astonishment the latest antics of not Trump but Musk. Not only did he take his four-year-old to a press conference at the Oval Office, but he also took a few more of his 12 kids to a meeting with our very own Prime Minister when he visited the US. What exactly was he signalling? His soft, sensitive side? That he’s a doting dad who can’t be parted from his brood even while interacting with heads of state?
As a busy working journalist I juggled child care duties and even with the most supportive parents and husband, there were a few times when I had to take my kid to work. My colleagues including the martyred Gauri Lankesh used to babysit while I punched out stories. On a memorable occasion, I had to take my toddler along to interview Gary Lawyer. I also had to use his bathroom to change the child’s diaper. To is credit, Gary was unfazed.
Trump, though, did look distinctly uncomfortable with the littleboy ‘digging for gold’ during the press conference, and it must have been really tough for the assembled media to keep a straight face. But they dared not snicker lest they be banned from the White House. They and we better get used to much more bizarre shenanigans with the Great White Chief/s ruling the world. What will happen when they butt heads? Will we soon be bowing and hailing the all-conquering omnipotent hero? I’m not being fanciful -a truth stranger than fiction is being scripted and will unfold soon enough.
Harking back to taking kids to work, I did a dipstick survey and found that while companies do allow parents to bring their children to work, they are not allowed to attend meetings. The parents can bring a caretaker and leave them in another room. Some companies informally allow employees to bring their kids to the office during vacations. The kids do their homework or some crafts on their own. They also have the option of using the cafeteria space. But nobody takes their kid into a work meeting though the Italian MP Gilda Sportiello made history by breastfeeding her two-month-old son in Parliament, to the applause of all the fellow parliamentarians. Ms Sportiello was making a statement on behalf of working women who are forced to stop nursing their kids when they return to work.
But almost always children aren’t even allowed to hover during online meetings at home. Perhaps Musk wants to give his brood a headstart by bringing them into confabs with powerful people. What would have happened if a mother had brought her child to such a meeting instead? I think I am stretching our collective imagination rather much with this premise. Because had Musk been female, he would never have reached where he is. A woman who was equally intelligent and equally ambitious would still have not gotten anywhere close to achieving the success and wielding the influence as Musk. And I can’t imagine Trump ceding space to a female Musk.
I am also struck by Musk’s mission to increase the population of the world. He has contributed 12 biological children to the world because he’s worried about the human race dying. The global fertility rate is about 2.2, having declined by half over the last three decades. In a rather paradoxical development for us living in the world’s most populous country in the world, India’s dropping fertility rate is a matter of concern. The fertility rate has dropped to 2 over the years even after the ‘hum do hamara do’ slogan was quietly buried. This is actually causing concern.
With life expectancy increasing, an ageing population’s need for healthcare and social security are going to rise even as the workforce shrinks. Like Musk, Chandrababu Naidu too wants to incentivize couples to have more kids to ensure India thrives from its youth.
While being cognisant of the economic needs to boost population growth, these men who want to sire more children should be mindful that it’s women who bear the children. And for the most part, also bear the burden of raising them. Their health and well-being should be prioritised above all especially in the poorer countries where obviously women are the least important. Perhaps this is something Musk can apply his brilliant mind to while parading his brood. And while he’s at it, it would be wonderful if he could also figure out how men can bear children.
Sandhya Mendonca, author, biographer, and publisher, casts a female gaze at the world in this column.
