having a great deal of activity or many things to do
from Old English bisig, of unknown origin
Can describe both people and places with high activity
Historically used to gatekeep women's labor as invisible ('just busy at home') while men's busy-ness signaled status and productivity. Gendered assumptions about what counts as legitimate work persist.
Use 'busy' neutrally for all work types, and credit unpaid/domestic labor equally when describing productivity.
["occupied","engaged","working"]
Women's domestic and caregiving labor was systematized as non-work; naming it 'busy' equally validates its legitimacy.
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