Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
I was surprised to hear that my mother-in-law thought, my job was a hobby to avoid household responsibilities!
“She is doing the job out of her hobby and to pass her time and of course it’s a good excuse to move away from her household responsibilities,” these words of my mother-in-law caught me by surprise.
Professional ambition is expected of men but is optional or worse, sometimes even negative, like in my case, for women. Men are often applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women who display the same traits often pay a social penalty, their accomplishments come at a cost.
My parents raised me with a view of increasing equality, a trend that I thought would continue. In retrospect, I think I was quite idealistic. Integrating professional and personal aspirations proved far more challenging. After my graduation, I realized the world has not evolved much, at least not as much as I believed it would.
At workplace, the gender discrimination was quite visible. Many of my female friends worked full time, part-time, and just as many chose to be stay-at-home mothers. This was a mirror of national trend.After marriage, many highly trained women are dropping out of the workforce, and one of them was me.
During those years my career demanded maximum time investment, at the same time biology demanded that I should have children. The normal Indian society trend did not spare my home too, the partner, supported by mother-in-law, did not share the housework and child-rearing, so I found myself with full-time physical and mentally draining job.
This scenario of Indian women specially trying ‘to do it all’. And then deciding that something has to be given up for the sake of family, and that something is usually their careers. Though the competitive exams result show altogether a different picture, where girls are increasingly outperforming boys; suddenly the ratio gets reversed at workplace or in leadership roles at professional level.
As Sheryl Sandberg says in Lean In, “Career progression often depends upon taking risks and advocating for oneself, traits that girls in our societal set-up are discouraged from exhibiting. This may be the reason why girls’ academic gains have not yet translated into significantly higher number of women in top jobs.”
With today’s Millennial women, who are far more focused and stronger to keep the work-home balance, it gives me a hope to see more women believing in themselves and more men becoming a part of their aspiration, by supporting women in the workforce and at home.
Where is the support system for us?
Image by: Jacob Lund via Canva Pro
Always exploring the lost self in the waves of time.....smiling with the tender hearts....putting on paper all that could observe and dream. Looking beyond the life deje vus. read more...
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Menopause is a reality in women's lives, so Indian workplaces need to gear up and address women's menopausal needs.
Picture this: A seasoned executive at the peak of her career suddenly grapples with hot flashes and sleep disturbances during important meetings. She also battles mood swings and cognitive changes, affecting her productivity and confidence. Eventually, she resigns from her job.
Fiction? Not really. The scenario above is a reality many women face as they navigate menopause while meeting their work responsibilities.
Menopause is the time when a woman stops menstruating. This natural condition marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years. The transition brings unique physical, emotional, and psychological changes for women.
Dr Nalini Parthasarathi, 79, based in Puducherry has dedicated 30 years of her life caring for people suffering from hemophilia.
It is amazing when a person turns personal adversity into a calling, and extends empathy to make a significant impact in the lives of other people. This has been the life’s journey of Dr Nalini Parthasarathi.
April 17 is World Hemophilia Day. Dr Nalini Parthasarathi, 79, based in Puducherry has dedicated 30 years of her life caring for people suffering from hemophilia. She was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2023.
Hemophilia is a condition where one or more clotting factor is absent leading to bleeding. Severe cases can be life-threatening.
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