Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
Why are working women told that they have an option to quit, whenever they talk about the ups and downs of their job? Do CEOs have the option of quitting?
Just because my husband is working, it doesn’t take away my right to have a professional ambition in life or make it easy for me to to just quit on bad days.
After having spent so many years as a working professional, I have seen a common mentality among few people, that women/girls work just for their pocket money and they have an option of quitting to work any day. I don’t know if all my female friends would agree to this or not, but I have been hearing this statement many times by different people, at different places of work and at different situations.
When I joined work as a fresher, I heard few people saying “Sohini, you have a choice of quitting after marriage, anyway your husband would be earning right.” Once I got married I heard the same thing about having an option to quit post having children. Now that I have a child and still continue to work, and sometimes discuss about the issues in getting a help at home for taking care of the baby while I am away, or if at times I am irritated with my boss, or I don’t like some policies in office, I hear the same old sentence “Sohini, you have an option to quit, but we can’t do that.” And all this from some of my male colleagues to be precise.
I am not sure of the reason for making such a sentence by anyone but I am surely not in favor of hearing such a thing at every step. Being a female doesn’t snatch away the right to be career-oriented. Being married and having children doesn’t take away the right to aim high in your career. Just because my husband is working, it doesn’t take away my right to have a professional ambition in life and give me an option to quit any day. If I have a problem with a person in office or the office as a whole I have an option to join a different one which suits my professional as well as personal requirements and ambitions, but quitting work is definitely never in my wish list. I believe in doing what I love and letting people do what they love.
I am sure all the lovely ladies who decide to be homemakers are doing so because they love doing it. If at times, they are irritated because they have too many things to do at home, how many of you would go and tell them anyway your husband is there to take care of the household chores so you have an option to quit doing these? Or for that matter, many of my friends who are working, have to go back home and do everything on their own, and when they are tired and worn out after work, how many of you go and tell her that anyway you have your husband so you have the option of quitting to do all these any day, he will take care.
All the homemakers, if they are irritated because they have too many things to do at home, how many of them can say that husband is there to take care of the household chores so you have an option to quit doing them?
I guess what is lacking here is the respect for the female gender in the minds of many. Yes I agree its a taboo to believe that the male earns the bread and butter and the female takes care of the house. But people, don’t you think we have come a long way from all these and we have explored a lot? So having such thoughts not only makes you look like an idiot in front of many but shows how inferior you feel when you compare yourselves with the female counterpart who is able to manage both with the same efficiency and without complaints!
Image via Shutterstock.
Logically Intelligent.. Occassionally Beautiful... Thoughtfully Funny.... A daughter, a sister, a wife, a parent, a friend, above all a person who loves to dream... Life's moto is to see the world... I believe in read more...
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
Please enter your email address