Commitment is a strong promise or decision to do something and keep doing it, even when it is difficult. It can also mean an obligation or responsibility that takes time or effort.
From Old French *commetement*, based on Latin *committere* “to entrust.” It came to mean the state of being bound or entrusted to a person, goal, or duty.
Commitment is like signing a long-term contract with your future self. Motivation may come and go, but commitment is what keeps you doing the work on the days you don’t feel like it.
Discourses around 'commitment' in relationships and work have often portrayed women as seeking commitment and men as avoiding it, reinforcing narrow gender scripts. Women's long-term commitments in unpaid care work have been undervalued compared to men's paid commitments.
Use 'commitment' without attributing different levels of commitment to genders; describe specific behaviors or agreements instead of stereotypes.
Women's commitments in activism, caregiving, and community building have sustained social movements and institutions, even when not recognized as formal 'commitment' in records.
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