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Follow UsFrom the age of the 'ideal bhartiya naari' depicted by the likes of
Bollywood Maa, aka Nirupa Roy and Reema Lagoo, to the era of the
'superwoman' as depicted by the ad worldmulti-tasking is one skill
that has always been a must have for a
She has to fit in multiple roles in personal and professional life, and
mind you, there's no respite for her.
Sunisha Thomas, VP, Aegis, calls it a 'juggling act'. Being a
professional for more than seventeen years, and a mother of two, she
has seen priorities taking different shapes at different stages of
life. As a fresher,
balance meant working sixteen to seventeen hours a day, and what I
earned was more or less my pocket money as I lived with my parents.
Today, work-life balance means leaving work place by 7 pm, come what
may, because I know there are things waiting at the other end, she
says.
Taking a look at the societal transition from joint family set-up to
nuclear families, she points out, The support system that existed
earlier is gradually fading out. You can't go with ease to your
workplace knowing that there is someone to take care of things at home.
However, it's not just the dilemma of married
says Amrita Choudhury, director, Cyber Cafe Association of India. A
single woman has her own set of challenges, as she has to manage
everything on her own without any back-up, she says. Working for
eleven years, she has struck a balance by planning things in advance
and leading a disciplined life. Also, she has learned to avoid taking
work home and vice versa, and this has helped her. However, there
isn't a universal solution, as everybody manages her life differently.
I suppose we should take only those things that we feel are important
and do them well, rather than trying to imitate others and be
superwomen, she suggests.
Hitchhiker's Guide
Dr Shefali Dash, deputy director general, National Informatics Center
has a different perspective. She feels that due to high expectations
and multiple roles, women become far more stronger, confident and
competent. Her advice to young
professionals is to keep patience and be focused. Work-life
balance doesn't mean you over-stretch yourself to fit in multiple
roles. Nevertheless, you should be honest with your responsibilities
and not use your multiple roles as an excuse to shy away from duties.
she suggests. Try to set realistic goals for yourself and don't feel
overtly guilty even if you fail at times. With this, you will see
work-life balance automatically falling in place, she says.
Another issue that disrupts this balance is the career break that most
face post marriage or post the delivery of a child. This break often
takes them behind their male counterparts and it is often not easy for
all women to make a comeback. To this Shireen Alam, director, Sapient
says, Today, most organizations are adopting policies like
flexi-working hours and work-from-home that are especially meant to
encourage their women employees to continue with their jobs during such
critical stages. Also, Dr Dash informs that government employees can
now avail two years of leave under 'child care policy' instead of the
three-month maternity leaves sanctioned earlier.
Thomas says that's it's also important to set up a brand for yourself
before taking a break, so that one can get back into the industry at a
later stage. For this, it's important to stick to one organization for
long and prove your worth, rather than frequently changing jobs for a
few extra bucksa trend that's taking shape currently, she advises.
Roles only get added with age. Practically, one can't take break at
all stages. Women also need to identify their career priorities. The
best is to look for existing avenues and make the best of what you
have, she says.
As Dr Kiran Bedi's thought sums it up, There's nothing to your life
but the choices you make.
Women's Day Special: Can Women Really Play Multiple Roles?
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