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Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's Two-Hour Workday: A Radical Vision for the 21st Century

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  Published in Science and Technology on Sunday, December 28th 2025 at 10:13 GMT by The Daily Star

The Enduring Vision: Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's Two-Hour Workday and the Pursuit of Liberation in the 21st Century

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1938), a pioneering Bengali feminist writer, social reformer, and intellectual, remains remarkably relevant today, not just for her critiques of patriarchal societal structures but also for her radical vision of a reimagined future – one centered around the concept of a two-hour workday. A recent piece in The Daily Star compellingly revisits this often-overlooked element of Hossain’s thought, arguing that its urgency has only intensified in our hyper-connected, productivity-obsessed 21st century. While seemingly utopian at first glance, Rokeya's proposal was deeply rooted in observations about human potential, gender inequality, and the detrimental effects of relentless labor.

The article highlights Hossain’s most famous work, Kutubdia, a satirical novella published in 1931, as the primary vehicle for this concept. Kutubdia depicts a fictional island society where women hold positions of power and have engineered a technological advancement – an “automatic machine” – that performs all labor, freeing them to pursue education, arts, and personal development. Crucially, work itself is limited to just two hours per day for everyone, regardless of gender. This wasn't simply about leisure; it was a deliberate restructuring of society aimed at unlocking human potential previously stifled by the drudgery of endless toil.

Hossain’s rationale went beyond mere convenience. She observed that excessive labor, particularly in agricultural societies and those burdened by traditional gender roles, prevented individuals from reaching their full intellectual and creative capacities. Women, in particular, were trapped in a cycle of domestic servitude, denied education and opportunities for self-expression. The two-hour workday was envisioned as a liberation tool, allowing women (and men) to escape these constraints and contribute meaningfully to society beyond the confines of traditional labor. As the Daily Star article points out, Hossain's vision wasn’t about eliminating work entirely; it was about redefining its purpose and limiting its encroachment on other crucial aspects of human life.

The context for Hossain's radical proposition is vital. She lived during a period of significant social change in Bengal, witnessing both the burgeoning nationalist movement and the persistent inequalities faced by women. Her own privileged background – she received an unconventional education from her brother, despite societal restrictions on female learning - allowed her to critically examine these issues and articulate them with remarkable clarity. Hossain was deeply influenced by feminist thinkers of her time and actively participated in social reform movements, advocating for women's access to education and challenging discriminatory practices. Her writings, often veiled in satire and allegory, were a powerful tool for raising awareness and sparking dialogue about gender equality.

The Daily Star article rightly emphasizes that Rokeya’s vision is particularly relevant today, given the rise of “hustle culture” and the blurring lines between work and personal life fueled by digital technology. The constant connectivity afforded by smartphones and the internet has created a sense of perpetual availability, leading to burnout, anxiety, and diminished well-being. The pressure to be productive – often measured in hours worked rather than output achieved – echoes the very system Hossain sought to dismantle. While automation hasn't progressed quite as dramatically as envisioned in Kutubdia, technological advancements continue to reshape work patterns and raise questions about the future of labor.

Furthermore, the article connects Rokeya’s ideas to contemporary debates surrounding Universal Basic Income (UBI) and shorter working weeks. While UBI aims to provide a safety net regardless of employment status, and shorter working week movements seek to redistribute workload and improve work-life balance, Rokeya's two-hour workday goes further – it proposes a fundamental rethinking of the relationship between labor, technology, and human flourishing. It isn’t just about having more free time; it's about designing a system that prioritizes individual development and societal well-being over relentless economic growth.

However, the article also acknowledges the challenges in realizing such a radical vision. The power structures that Rokeya challenged remain deeply entrenched, and the current global economic model is predicated on continuous production and consumption. Implementing a two-hour workday would require significant systemic changes, including rethinking education, redefining measures of success, and addressing issues of wealth distribution. The article suggests that perhaps a more pragmatic approach involves advocating for policies that move us closer to Rokeya’s ideals – shorter working weeks, increased access to education and leisure time, and a greater emphasis on human well-being over purely economic indicators.

In conclusion, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's two-hour workday concept in Kutubdia offers more than just a nostalgic glimpse into an imagined utopia. It serves as a powerful critique of contemporary work culture and a call for a reimagined future where technology is used to liberate human potential rather than perpetuate cycles of exploitation and burnout. As the Daily Star rightly argues, Rokeya’s vision remains urgently relevant in our increasingly demanding world, prompting us to question the very foundations of how we organize labor and define a meaningful life. Her legacy encourages us to strive for a society that prioritizes not just productivity but also individual flourishing, creativity, and genuine human connection – a future where everyone has the time to truly live.

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