6 women share how their marriage affected their professional life
When it comes to maintaining a work-life balance, it's always women who find this far more challenging than men. We aren't trying to disregard the challenges that men have to suffer through. But we're simply trying to emphasize how women are always torn between their house as well as professional responsibilities. Especially married women who constantly try to find the right balance between their marriage and profession only to find out how their marriage ends up affecting their professional life. We asked a few women to describe their experiences and this is what they have to say:
Had to take leaves for domestic issues: Sunita Sharma
"When we were dating, he used to flaunt my media life to his friends and family. So I assumed that my profession will always be respected. But soon after my wedding, I was asked to take leaves for little domestic issues, like my job wasn't important enough and his was. If the mother in law is unwell, I was expected to be at home with her. If the maid hasn't come, I would have to accommodate my working hours, while others went about their lives. I have many times come close to putting in my papers, but something pulls me back."
Compromised on my promotion: Riddhima Kapoor
"I've always been very ambitious with my job and I was doing very well with my tasks. In fact, I was set for a promotion and my husband was also very happy with my profession. But due to some personal reasons, we had to move back in with his joint family which made it difficult for me to divide equal time for home and work responsibilities. This started showing up bad on my performance at work and I had to compromise on my promotion."
Forced to learn how to cook: Deepa Mehra
"I had made it clear to my husband that I can't cook well before marriage. But when his mom decided to spend a few months with us post marriage, I was forced to take cooking lessons from her. My husband and I both were working and I thought we will divide responsibilities but that never happened. My mother-in-law dutifully taught me what my husband preferred to eat and how and it's been an year now and now I do all the cooking. So now I manage my profession along with cooking - which is tough because I end up working longer hours."
Settled for a lesser paying job: Riya Bhardwaj
"Back in the days, my husband (then boyfriend) and I used to talk about how we'll always support each other for our professions and help each other get achieve bigger job positions. But after we got married, things started escalating quickly and my married life started taking a toll on me mentally. I wasn't doing well on my job and I was asked to resign. But since my husband couldn't be the only earning member, I had to settle for a lesser paying job just enough to help us get through each month."
Had to quit my job: Masoom Shahi
"When I got pregnant, we were discussing ways to figure out how we will manage the baby and our jobs. But shortly thereafter he had a call with his family and it was decided that I will quit my job and look for freelance options. I was just told that it's the only viable option. I used to earn as well as my husband and today I am jobless and a stay-at-home mother."
Mentally unhealthy: Sulekha Varma
"Due to this pandemic, my husband lost his job which left just me as the earning member of the house. I used to love my job, I did really well with my deadlines and daily tasks. But since I had to put all the money on the table for all our family needs, I kept stressing out and started performing poorly at work. I still have the job but I no more enjoy working. It's like I only keep working to afford a living for my family."