A working mother is a woman who engages in employment outside of the home while caring for her children at the same time. She works to financially provide for her children and support her family. But there are some challenges faced by working mothers which we will discuss in this article.
The trend of working mothers is now growing in India. More mothers are getting jobs because of the economy and how expensive things are getting. This trend has been accompanied by a corresponding increase in the number of children who are looked after at home by nannies or by day nurseries. This is especially true of children under five, over half of whom now spend part of their week in some form of childcare outside the home.
The shift towards two-income families can be seen as a positive development, bringing economic benefits both to parents and to society as a whole.
What are the challenges faced by working mothers?
Work-life balance
The biggest challenge for working mothers is to balance their work and home. They have to take care of their children at home and their work in the office. In addition, they have to try to be a good mother and a good worker at the same time. A mother should be sensitive to her children’s needs, but she also has an obligation to herself and her employer.
Even though some people blame women for not being able to balance their work and family. I think it is out of women’s control. By nature, women are more caring than men. Therefore, when women become mothers, they tend to devote more time to their families. When they become working mothers, it is difficult for them not to be absorbed by their family problems. Since they have a strong responsibility towards both sides. Furthermore, there are many things that happen in the family that cannot wait until they go home from work such as taking care of a sick child or attending a parent-teacher conference. As a result, women may find it hard to concentrate on work when they are at the office.
Working mothers face more problems at work
Another problem that a lot of working mothers face is the lack of support from their employers. Many women find it difficult to get promotions or salary hikes because employers think that since they are married and have children, they cannot devote enough time to work. Further, employers do not see job stability in mothers.
Working mothers have to do multi-tasking
A working mother would try to reach home earlier than usual so that she could spend more time with her children, but even if she does, there are lots of things to do at home. She still needs to cook, prepare school stuff for her children, help them with their homework, read bedtime stories and tuck them in bed. After which, she still has to clean up the house and wash the dishes.
Working mothers have little time for themselves
Working mothers have very little time for themselves as they have loads of responsibilities at home and at work. They rarely get any recreational time so as to enhance their moods and take a break from their hectic schedules. At times like this, it is easy for them to develop depression.
Final thoughts
Without a doubt, there are a lot of challenges faced by working mothers. Especially in countries like India wherein women are only considered to be bread-makers and men are considered to be bread-winners. However, fortunately, things have been changing now as there is a growing trend of working mothers in India. This change can definitely bring social. And economic benefits over and above sustained growth for the country.
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