Something you must do because of a law, rule, promise, or sense of duty. It can be a responsibility you feel morally or legally bound to fulfill.
From Latin “obligatio,” from “obligare,” meaning “to bind,” from “ob-” (toward) + “ligare” (to tie). It originally referred to being bound by a legal or moral tie.
The word literally imagines duties as ropes tying you to actions you must take. Thinking of obligations as “things you’re tied to” can help you decide which ones are worth keeping and which are just social pressure.
Social and moral obligations have been distributed unevenly by gender, with women expected to fulfill extensive caregiving and domestic obligations without corresponding rights or recognition. Language of duty and obligation has often reinforced these unequal expectations.
Be explicit about whose obligations are being discussed and avoid assuming that caregiving or emotional labor obligations fall naturally on women.
Women’s fulfillment of social obligations has sustained families and communities, while feminist movements have questioned unfair, gendered burdens.
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