As India is marching towards its ambitious goal of being a superpower, it needs its entire fellow citizen’s fair share of contribution.
As per demographical studies, we see that approx 40% of the working-age population is between 18 to 55, out of which a small fraction of courageous women take this responsibility to help their family and country economically.
As per the literacy report in India, women’s literacy rates increase, and the number of working women will increase, but because of social responsibility.
Many working women left their job after being a mom; many of them have to pay the penalty of being a mom, but the new father gets more opportunity and support.
According to our constitution, men and women must be considered equal.
But are we living in a society where men and women are equal?
It is difficult to manage home and workspace, single-handedly, but still working moms are fighting this battle every day. They always get less salary than other male employees.
Here are some problems faced by working moms:
1.The patriarchy and moms self-esteem
The changing status of Indian women involves a complete transition from homemaker to professional. This has disheartened a large number of Indian men who were not brought up by working moms.
That’s why Indian working moms don’t get the respect they deserve in the workspace from other male employees.
Most male colleagues don’t like to work under a female boss. Such insecure male species are given to putting down their women’s colleagues and harming their self-esteem to protect their ego.
2.The choices
In Indian society, women’s responsibilities are set child care, and house chores are borne the burden of women, and a career is a choice.
Indian society is patriarchal, and the status of women in society is often that of a housewife or homemaker. However, men are expected to be a solo income source of family.
If a woman is earning sharing responsibilities of a partner, she is still bound to look after the child and family.
No matter how much working moms earn and at which position she is, women of India are still looked as housewives.
Working moms or working women are expected to reach home early; they need to clean, cook, and look after children. This is a huge burden. Over 50% of working women left their jobs after being working moms.
3.Entitlement
Working moms do not feel entitled to putting their own needs, comforts, or ambitions first compared to their male partners.
Many working moms in India abstain from working extended hours in the office, making them look less responsible and committed to their careers than unmarried women.
4.The salary gap
One of the changing topics of debate is the problem faced by working moms with equal pay.
By law, a woman is entitled to get the same salary as her male colleagues for the same work done. But gender discrimination is rampant as many companies still do not adhere to these guidelines and pay women less than their male colleagues.
5.The careless employer with working moms
In our society, a woman is supposed to be a mom; most working moms take maternity leave in their workplace and start their work after their baby’s birth.
We have the most progressive laws for maternity benefits since 2017.
But the employer has said that this benefits some time backfires, and apparently, we hire fewer female employees than male employees.
However, studies revealed that less than 50% of working women feel that they are treated equally their male colleagues in the same post.
Approximately 10% of working moms accept that their employer is making an effort to improve the workplace for moms.
And approximately 30% of working women agree that employers are taking the initiative to provide women with needs in periods, menopause, and pregnancy.
Also, a new mom goes through drastic life changes, and it becomes hard to balance life and work when you have a child who demands a significant part of your attention.
And this is the main reason why many working moms are forced to leave work or are terminated by their companies for irregular attendance and other professional differences.
6.The motherhood penalty
Most working moms feel they are being pushed out of their jobs when they become pregnant, while the careers of new fathers is boosted.
This happens not only in India but all over the world. We think of father as a breadwinner and mother as caregivers.
It leads to indicate that expected moms get less career encouragement which leads to lower motivation to stay within the workforce.
Some questions run in the employer’s mind, like what if she leaves the job for a child as she needs to take care of a child? Or what if she takes leave because her partner needs to go out of the city?
Even when seeking a job, moms are not the first choice, and they would prefer to hire male candidates or unmarried women as she doesn’t have many responsibilities towards home.
7.The Working- Not- Working
Having a job is an excellent way for women, especially married women, to improve their home decision-making.
However, since it is culturally not the part women should play, women need to convince their families that doing a job is essential not only for themselves but also for the whole family, particularly for their children.
Sadly, one of the few reasons considered necessary is extreme financial pressures, and thus a large share of these women are ‘allowed to work’ in India come from socioeconomically weak backgrounds.
Many educated and economically sound Indian moms don’t work because they think that the woman staying at home means her husband is doing great at work.
This belief means that many women never have the chance to have careers, but it also means young males are usually extremely burdened with the task of financially helping their whole families.
8.Earning More than Your Husband
When a woman’s salary increases, equal to her husband’s, the husband is more likely to take on extra household chores. Once a woman starts earning more than her husband, his participation in household work starts decreasing again. The male ego is likely to make women take on a dual burden of both paid and unpaid work.
