Why More Women Don’t Dream

Posted: July 2, 2013

“You have to dream before your dreams can come true.” Dr. Abdul Kalam

Over the past few months, I ‘ve been doing a lot of reading, thinking and writing about the importance of having “dreams” in the journey of life. And by dreams, I don’t mean the dreams which you get when you’re asleep. I’m talking about dreams which make you want to jump up from bed each day, and live your life fulfilling your dreams.

I quizzed people in my network about their dreams, and as expected there was a range of responses which inspired a post on “Are you too old to have a dream?”. Evidently, the answer is NO. You are never too old to have a dream!

But there were other interesting observations that I also made in connection to women and dreams:
1. Women after a particular age found it harder to articulate and express their dreams? I can’t help but wonder why?
o Is it because women don’t have dreams?
o Is it because women don’t want to share their dreams?
o Is it because women have not really thought about their dreams?

2. The dreams of many women after a particular phase of life (read as marriage, or becoming mothers) hardly revolve around them. Again, I can’t help but wonder why?
o   Is it the genes?
o   Is it the way women have been conditioned?
o   Is it that their lives revolve so much around their families that their dreams also revolve around their family?
o   Is it that their own dreams are somewhat side-lined / put on the back-burner to enable others to live their dreams?
o   Is it that somewhere they’ve lost their own view of “their dreams”?

3. So many women did not have any real long term dreams at all. Again, I can’t help but wonder why?
o   Is it that there are genuinely no dreams?
o   Is it that they don’t believe in the power of dreams?
o   Is it that they have accepted that dreams don’t always become reality, and hence there’s no point in having a dream
I don’t have all the answers, But here’s what I do know..

Dreams are vital to the journey of life
Dreams change with time and life
Dare to Dream!
And work to make your dream a reality!

Here’s to DREAM POWER!

Pic credit: Shadfan66 (Used under a Creative Commons license)

Nischala Murthy Kaushik

Working Mom • Marketologist - Digital Artisan - Brand Storyteller • Ideapreneur • Writer - Blogger - Columnist • IIMB Alumni • Mentor • Horizon

Learn More

Comments >>

Comments

1 Comment

Shonali - July 2, 2013 at 11:42 am

Wonderful and thought provoking article !!
My opinion about the above 3 questions as per my experience :
1. Because women have not really thought about their dreams.
2. Both because they have been conditioned like that by a society which persecutes them for having a dream as well as their own dreams are somewhat side-lined / put on the back-burner to enable others to live their dreams.

3. Because, they have accepted that dreams don’t always become reality, and hence there’s no point in having a dream.

e.g- I am a divorced young woman who had to take this tough decision because her in-laws chose to treat her like a mindless slave. And yet my relatives, neighbours moan about this so much as if I can’t have any dream other than marriage and kids. They look at me in utther horror when I tell them about my dreams to roam around the world or adopt an orphan girl child!!!

Reply