#CelebrateingtheRainbow at the workplace – share your stories of Pride!
Organizations need to develop policies that are women-friendly if they do not want to lose out on the talented women who are assets to the organization.
Choosing between a career and motherhood is a decision that no woman should have to make. Yet almost every working woman, or anybody who aspires to be one, must deal with this at some point in their life. And, when the time comes, should a woman choose motherhood above her career?
Well, if a woman opts to focus on her career instead of motherhood, is it right for society to call her self-centered and egoistic? Instead, the right question that needs to be asked is why should a woman have to choose between the two at all?
What is this double standards, why can’t a woman be a good mother and excel in career. By ‘giving them permission’ to work outside, women are made to feel as though men are doing them a great favour. But let me tell you something. Since this permission to work comes with its own set of laws, regulations, and requirements.
It is an expected norm that parenting makes no difference to the careers of men. Then why does it make huge difference that for women alone? Equality is not just creating equal opportunities for everyone, but also creating a level field for both sexes to foster and encourage these opportunities.
Women are constantly asked about their plans for their future— when would they like to settle down? Number of kids that they would like to have and if so when? Marriage and children are part of a woman’s private life, right? Is it correct to ask for such details in the first place? These questions should not even be criteria for judging a person’s professional capabilities.
On the other hand, a man, though career-oriented, can come home late from work and play with his children without lending a helping hand to his spouse. A man can afford to play the role of an absentee parent and choose not to have children. Is the reverse true?
Demeaning a woman for not wanting to embrace motherhood. In popular culture, highly successful women are often depicted as people who prefer to remain childless. They are projected as well dressed in formal wear at all times, heartless and inconsiderate.
In our society, the motherhood that is hailed and accepted is that of the conventional type, wherein a woman biologically conceives a child, and that too at an age which is deemed proper by the society at large. Because of this attitude single moms or those who opt for adoption or late motherhood have to face a lot of stigmas, which add pressure to their already stressed-out lives.
A young mother may need emergency leaves while taking care of her young child and it may be even on a crucial workday. But it is rather unfair to use these as yardsticks to pass judgment on a working woman’s commitment to work and family.
Organizations need to develop policies that are women-friendly if they do not want to lose out on the talented women who are assets to the organization. Research shows that children of working moms turn out to be high achievers and happy adults as compared to non-working women. Despite this working women face endless scrutiny when the topic of parenting arises.
Motherhood versus career is a dilemma and imbroglio that several working women have to face. This perspective has to change as it is not only incorrect but unjust as well, which unnecessarily complicates the lives of several working moms.
Picture Credits: Pixabay
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