“What is that of co-responsibility? "

In recent times, you have surely realized that the word "co-responsibility" is frequent in our speech, in the informative articles that we send to families, it is even a word that we emphasize a lot with students, today, regarding the day derived from the international day of women, we make a stop and parenthesis to give greater clarity and understanding to it, which at the end of this text, you will see that it is a concept that has a total relationship with equity and justice.

Let's start at the beginning, defining "co-responsibility." The conventional dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, although clear, is brief and says that it is a “Shared responsibility”. Starting from there, we already have an idea of what it means, but we would like to give it greater precision and understanding, for this you will have to go to a dictionary of social sciences, or continue reading ...

We believe that by now we are clear that "responsibility" has to do with our own ability to understand the consequences of our actions, consequences that include repairing the damage caused. Now when this obligation includes more than one person, we are already talking about "co-responsibility" which implies that two or more individuals take charge in a cooperative and solidary way, of an action, error, act or even omission, intentionally or even when it was unintentionally, that is, an accident.

Why is it important from home, school, institutions and other public spaces to highlight co-responsibility? simply because the democratic and fair models are those that result from shared responsibilities. Let's think about our family, at lunchtime, where we all sit at the table to share this activity, now let's imagine that we don't have a democratic model at home, this you will know because what would happen is that only one person would be the " in charge ”of picking up the dishes, taking them to the kitchen, washing them, drying them, putting them back in order and let's not forget that we have to clean the table and kitchen, while the rest of the family retired to do their personal things, if this image is Repeat constantly, not only in this example, but in many others, it is likely that there are no co-responsibilities at home, which in the long run, generates wear, stress, anger and a deep sense of injustice in the member that always falls an unequal responsibility.

This occurs in other areas of our lives and that of our children, such as at school, where students who come from a family environment where stewardship is not highlighted, are the first to evade, flee and avoid any type of activity that they consider it does not belong to them and that others must assume, let's go back to the example of cleaning: “If I believe that it is the responsibility of another person, as someone of intent, not only, I am not careful to take the garbage to its right place, but I also leave my napkin, my plastic packaging and other waste after eating my lunch, because "there will be someone to clean up later." And just like the previous example, co-responsibility or the lack of it, profoundly impacts all the dynamics of social coexistence, which, up to this point, you will have already realized are not the responsibility of a single social actor, but of all the community that participates in them.

Co-responsibility, especially where there are family, school, labor, social and other groups, is necessary to think of an equitable, supportive, cooperative and just society; Starting at home is an essential challenge, thinking about a balanced distribution of housework and yes, children are included here, it implies the importance of analyzing how gender identities and roles associated with motherhood and life are constructed and negotiated. paternity. In the work environment, it is up to us to seek a conciliation between professional, personal and family life, in the public space, co-responsibility is that we all have to take care of it and, where appropriate, repair it. This philosophy of life, as always transmitted to children more through what and how we do it, than what we only tell them.

Finally, we think that this analytical exercise of thinking about democratic models of co-responsibility, will be key to properly understand how the practices and roles that we will have in the different spaces in which we participate and are very relevant, from the gender perspective that we are left this historic March 8 and 9, that men and women act on new forms of coexistence and participation that exceed the traditional roles that fall short, and result in gender stereotypes that limit everyone's possibilities.

It is time to exalt co-responsibility in everything we do, because this is the fundamental principle for the management of coexistence and security in our shared spaces, this is the way to direct ourselves to an equitable and fair society for us and for our children and daughters

If you have more questions or suggestions, approach your section director.

Psic. Alejandra Morales Arroyo

Safe ISQ Program