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As women, most of us are huge fans of Wonder Woman. For us, she represents the modern woman who is in charge of her own life while taking care of others. She is the most relatable that a superhero has ever been for modern independent women. And when it comes to women with children, it is no different. Working mothers have largely been celebrated in our society. Be it Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, who fought against the British East India Company while taking care of her adopted son, or the current Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, who has been looking after her baby while running the country. As working moms, we are used to juggling a million things at once on a daily basis. Our lives have been a constant sprint from home to daycare or school to office and the other way around. Not only do we have to look after our kids and family, but we need to focus on our careers as well, without compromising one over the other. Between taking care of the kids’ homework and finishing off that important presentation for the office, some of us hardly get any time for ourselves.
Women who juggle between work and family are often compared to superheroes. And while that analogy does provide a moment of happiness, the truth is something quite different. It is not that we are effortlessly pushing through each hurdle because of our superhuman capabilities. We just are left with no other viable option at our disposal. Although we are proud to call ourselves modern independent working women, our society still expects us, ladies, to put in a little extra effort than men when it comes to taking care of the household. Women, especially in our country, are still required to do all the household chores — from cooking and cleaning to taking care of the children — by themselves in spite of having to work a 9 to 5 job just like the men in the house. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, and many men are starting to help out a lot more with managing the household activities, especially among the millennial generation. But we still have a long way to go before that becomes the norm in our society. And even though we women learn to get used to this hectic lifestyle, it does get a little overwhelming at times. After all, we are mere mortals.
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The unprecedented situation that has risen with the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated things. Although work from home might have sounded fun at first, we all know that is far from what it has turned out to be. We are all now stuck in our houses/apartments where our personal and work life has amalgamated in an ever so chaotic fashion. Add kids into the picture, and now you could imagine what mayhem would actually look like. Unlike before, when kids, during work hours, were taken care of by their teachers at school or daycare, parents now have to look after them round the clock, which inevitably interferes with people’s professional lives. According to a research published by Gender, Work & Organization, working mothers on an average had to cut short their workweek by two hours during this pandemic in order to maintain their professional and personal lives (1). This obviously doesn’t help the already dwindling careers of numerous women during these uncertain times.
However, this post by no means serves as a conduit to lament the responsibilities a woman has as a mother. Taking care of their kids would and should always be the topmost priority for any parent. However, the unexpected turn of events has undoubtedly put most of us in a challenging situation where it is becoming harder to find a proper balance between managing our careers and family lives. Our concept of what used to be a “normal” life — something that we had almost got the hang of — has suddenly been replaced by something that none of us had planned for. So instead of calling us superheroes, we would appreciate it if people could empathize with us more. As a boss, you could be more understanding towards your female employees who raise a family. As a husband, your wife would appreciate it a lot if you could help her out in any way possible. She would prefer it any day over Wonder Woman’s tiara.
