“Balancing the act of motherhood and a career can sometimes feel like an impossible task, but we do it every day.”
This quote by Kate Winslet relates to every Working mother.
If we were to imagine then what does the typical family scene look like everyday morning?
It would be the same for every mother. A mother in a hurry to get her kids ready for school, help her husband get the perfect tie so he can finally go to work, and make breakfast and pack lunches for her family. However, why do we so seldom picture the woman of the home working or the dad assisting the kids in getting ready for school? Perhaps that is the influence of cultural norms and the story that the media feeds us all.
But isn’t it high time for the story to be changed?
It’s time to acknowledge the working mothers challenges and ask society how do working mothers manage their time? It is nothing but the dedication of these women who tirelessly manage both their professional responsibilities and the added duty of raising a child around the clock with always a smile on their faces.
A few years back, the responsibility of the entire family fell on the man. However, this is no longer the case.
Yes, you can blame the global economy and an abrupt increase in the cost of living especially in the big cities. The truth is that many of us wouldn’t be able to do what we have without working mothers, merely due to a lack of finances.
The need for working mothers in society is growing, but so are the difficulties that these working mothers in India are facing.
Before listing down the challenges faced by working mothers let me tell you in brief who a working mother is.
Who is a Working Mother?
A working mother is rightly defined as a woman who possesses the capacity to manage both her work and the additional duty of raising a child.
As society increasingly moves away from rigid gender norms and encourages men to assist with domestic tasks, it’s time we also discussed the very real difficulties faced by working mothers.
Discovering the Complexities: Challenges Faced by Working Mothers
A working mother has numerous obstacles to overcome, both at work and at home.
Here are some of the working mother challenges that she faces every day both at work and at home.
- Working mothers have some restrictions:
Teaching and banking were the only two industries with working mothers a few decades ago. This is because these jobs don’t need a lot of travel and have set day hours.
Because a working mother has an additional responsibility of taking care of the child there are limitations in the kind of occupations she can choose. She cannot take on any occupation of her choice due to problems like night shifts, lengthy workdays, and positions requiring a lot of travel.
- Work-life balance for working mothers:
Your family, your career, and everything in between and beyond must all be your top priorities. The pressure to be a superwoman and be there at all times can harm a working mother’s physical and mental well-being.
Society frequently puts pressure on working mothers to participate equally in both job and home life and if you are not able to do it, you’re not doing it right. This causes working mothers to feel a great deal of guilt and self-doubt.
- Time management for working mothers:
Effective time management is one of the main issues faced by working mothers. It can be quite challenging to balance job obligations with child care, especially if the mother does not have access to flexible work schedules or adequate support at home.
- Guilt and stress:
As they attempt to strike a balance between their work and family duties, many working women feel both guilty and stressed. They can be concerned that their caregiving obligations are taking a toll on their employment or that they aren’t spending enough time with their kids.
Some statistics showed that about 55% of working mothers feel guilty about not spending enough time with their children.
- Discrimination and Prejudice:
Sadly, one of the major problems of working mothers is bigotry and discrimination at work. They might not be considered for jobs or promotions, or they might be the target of unfavorable preconceptions or assumptions about their level of dedication to their jobs.
- Depression Risk
Work-family balance can harm mental health. For many working mothers, depression risk is a prevalent issue. The pressure from society to be the ideal worker, wife, and mother can be debilitating.
Depression can have a serious effect on working mothers, not just on their psychological well-being but also on the welfare of their kids. Behavioral and emotional issues are more common in children whose mothers are depressed.
- The hard-to-get me-time:
Working mothers frequently forget to take care of themselves in their rush to get everything done. They eat unhealthy lunches, skip breakfast, and don’t give grooming much thought. They feel guilty about leaving their child behind, so they don’t take time for themselves. Some of the self care ideas for working mothers include spending time watching a movie without interruption, reading a book, or having a nice evening spent lounging on the beach.
Conquering Challenges: Tips for Working Mothers
Despite every challenge, working mothers can prioritize their jobs and raise their families by adhering to a few easy guidelines. Below let us talk about some of the useful tips for working mothers that will make your life a bit easier and also give you an idea about how working mothers manage their personal and professional lives.
- Seek assistance before you become overwhelmed
A full-time job is raising children. Trying to balance a job and raising kids can be difficult. Thus, don’t hesitate to seek assistance when you need it or before your obligations as a working mother and mother overwhelm you.
Seeking assistance from loved ones, friends, government agencies, nonprofits, and other support groups is not a sign of weakness, rather an effective solution for working mothers, and you should do so before you become too overwhelmed by your responsibilities.
- Set guidelines in your house to prevent confusion
Chaos at home and work can be avoided by setting rules and maintaining organization. To maintain organization in both your job and personal life, it is essential to assign and distribute responsibilities to other family members, your spouse, or your kids.
Assign your kids household jobs based on their age, such as mopping the floors, doing laundry, and cleaning dishes. Additionally, discuss your difficulties with your partner and ask him to help with household tasks like preparing breakfast or dinner.
- Utilise technology to make your life easier
Globally, technology has impacted every industry. It’s integrated itself into our house as well. So, make the most of these technological developments to make your life easier. For instance, when you’re waiting for your children to get picked up or dropped off at school, think about reading or responding to emails.
Set up an automated system to pay your bills on time each month and avoid missing any deadlines. If you are unable to locate childcare while you are at work, you can use technology to begin working remotely so that you are always close to your children.
- Remain calm even when things don’t go according to plan
Because life is unpredictable, not everything that happens in it will go according to plan. Thus, cultivating a positive mindset to handle unexpected difficulties is essential.
More importantly, learn to understand that things will not always go as planned and consider attending therapy to help you de-stress. Develop calming routines and strategies to deal with unanticipated events at work or in your personal life.
- Engage with others going through similar circumstances
Working women are the best people to understand you. Thus, think about talking to other working women who have children about your problems. They have important life lessons to provide as well as advice on how to overcome obstacles.
And more than your closest confidants, working mothers with older children can help you and you can learn a lot from their personal experiences. Therefore, don’t be afraid to ask or assist working mothers who are in similar circumstances.
Conclusion
Balancing work and family obligations can be challenging for working mothers due to the many obstacles they encounter. These difficulties include having to balance several duties and responsibilities, restricted access to resources and help, and discrimination and prejudice in the workplace.
Even if some of these problems have been addressed in recent years, there is still more to be done to guarantee that working mothers receive equitable treatment and the resources they require to succeed in both their home and professional lives.
The contributions made by working mothers should be acknowledged and valued by society as a whole, and efforts should be made to make the environment more fair and encouraging for these working mothers.
After delving into the problems faced by working mothers in India and exploring strategies to overcome them, it’s clear that there’s much work to be done to ensure mothers like us have the time we deserve for ourselves and receive the recognition we merit in society.
If you resonate with this sentiment, I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments below!
Let’s collaborate and share additional helpful tips for fellow working mothers.
Together, we can make a difference.