This post by Solilo and the comments received prompted me to pen down my own thoughts on this subject.
I entirely agree that the life of working, career-oriented women in general is a lot more tougher than their male colleagues. That glass ceilings and gender biases definitely do exist and women need to fight these. The joke - "Women have to work twice as hard as men to be considered half as good" holds very very true.
Yet, women empowerment is not only about being able to work and climb the corporate ladder. It is also about women being in a position to make a choice of whether they want to work, or stay at home or do both. It is also about women getting the support from their families and work-places to do what they choose, in terms of help from the husband in sharing household chores, flexibility at the work-place such as flexi-timing, creche at the work place and work-from-home facilities.
Just as there are instances where women are not allowed to work by their in-laws and/or husbands, I have also seen the reverse cases where women are forced to keep working inspite of not wanting to, because of the financial benefits.
Is it fair to look down on women who are happy and content taking care of the house , husband and children? After all, most of our mothers would belong to this category.
Is it fair to dismiss women with great careers who spend 12-14 hours working as bad home makers and/or mothers? A lot of women today are striving to achieve a balance and are succeeding.
So at the end of the day, it is all about having a say and getting the support for whatever a woman has decided. Be it from the family or the work-place. That would be real women-empowerment.
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2 comments:
V, Came here through the comment you left on mine.
I am in agreement with you. That is what that short fiction intended to convey. The insensitiveness people show when it comes to woman's choices.
A woman is expected to make or break a career according to everyone's wish around her.
Even in the most educated societies we often hear mothers saying that she needs to get her son a good wife who can take care of him. Isn't it sad? Because what son needs is a life partner not another mother. Why should any grown man needs pampering? Then there are households where MILs say that now she can retire from kitchen because DIL is here without thinking that latter might not have similar interest in kitchen.
Then as you mentioned are houses where they want the girl to work to bring that extra moolah even when she wants to take a break an pursue other things.
Also, it is a fact that while some women have choices, men don't. Men are expected to always bring in moolah. So I would say that any decision about job and money is a decision to be taken together but not at the whims and fancies of all and sundry.
of human empowerment -- that'sjust my opinion.
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