Responsibility is the duty to take care of something or someone, and to be answerable for the results of your actions. It can also refer to the things you are expected to do.
From *responsible* + *-ity*, ultimately from Latin *respondere* 'to answer'. The idea is that a responsible person can be 'answered to' or held accountable.
Responsibility is the invisible weight you carry when others are counting on you. As people grow up, life often feels heavier not because the world changed, but because their list of responsibilities did.
'Responsibility' has been unevenly assigned along gender lines, with women expected to shoulder disproportionate unpaid domestic, emotional, and caregiving work. At the same time, authority and formal responsibility in workplaces and politics skewed male.
Be explicit about shared responsibilities and avoid assuming women or specific genders are naturally responsible for care, organization, or emotional labor. Clarify institutional responsibilities rather than defaulting to individuals with less power.
["duty","obligation","accountability"]
When discussing responsibility in families, workplaces, or movements, recognize the often-invisible responsibilities women have carried and the organizing they have done to redistribute them more fairly.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.