Hello there,

I'm doing research to the balance between work and family of Indian women. Combining a family life and making a career is especially for Inidian women still a very difficult issue. I'm investigating solutions how women can combine a job and a family life. Parttime work, flexible working hours, job-sharing or telework are options that will be discussed in my project.

In short, I'm looking for stories of maried women who are making a career; what are your experiences? How do you combine your family life with your work? I'm also looking for stories of women who have given up work life; what are the factors behind your decisions?

I would be thankful if anybody would share their experiences!

Cheers

Hi Stephanie I am not a working woman.
but I know that working woman in India has a lot work load than a working woman abroad.
Husband mostly do not even try to understand that what load she is undergoing and so do not co-operate.
Other thing Indian husband feel more if their wife is earning more than him then they get complex and sometime jealous and do foolish act.

Hi Stephanie

I am a man and was married for 15 years with my sweet-heart. She was working as a Asst. Professor in a Women's college. After marriage she left the job, as she wanted to take care of my ailing mother. I was helping her in the household chores, right from cutting vegetables, cooking food, if she is engaged otherwise. My wife then found a teaching position in a local school, and also was taking tuitions at home, in order to keep updating her knowledge.

IN all these activities she never forgot her duty towards her mother-in-law, myself and our child. I used to share her work. She wanted to do a teaching degree and I agreed and helped her enrol in B.Ed in correspondence. She passed this in First class.

She was a bit upset due to the fact that she had to quit the COllege post, but she never regretted her decision. She was committed and lovable. I made her feel important as she was the bridge between our family members.

Unfortunately she passed away in 1983 when my child was 12 years old, due to a wrong diagnosis by the Doctor.

But having lived with such a lovable woman (incidentally she was classmate in Bsc and Msc nd I married her after 5 years of passing out from the college), I can answer any query that you may have regarding Working Women.

Hope I have not bored you.

With best wishes for you research work.

TES

Sorry to hear about your wife who passed away but it is good to hear that you understood her situation when she was working as well as she had liabilities at home. You helped her everywhere and this is very important for working woman but many husband do not understand this when they have working wife.
As Monica said, I agree with her. I have seen such situation and ultimately woman either had to quit work or there is stress in relations.

I think women are exploring other options like the ones you mentioned, apart from others like working from home.
Being the daughter of someone who was initially tied down to being a house wife due to family pressures but found her way out, I come from the school of thought that it is possible to strike just the right balance if done correctly.
My mother started work from home -that is she started designing jewelry from home which eventually were bought off by big jewelry houses.
I know of others who started similiar things from home - like dress designing, packaged food delivery, tiffin services, etc. Start up problems do not evade them either, but in the end things sort themselves out. So while they'r running full-fledged profit making businessess now, they'r doing it from the confines of thier homes & thus manage to take care of thier respective families too.

I am an American lady but thought I'd reply because no matter what culture I was raised in I would be the same as I am now. I have always been one to follow my own mind, so that's why. I have never geared my life to have children so I cannot be sure how I would feel if I wanted them, OBJECTIVELY, a woman should be limited only by the physical obstacles of carrying and giving birth to a child. My Nepali husband and I are "liberated", meaning we are equally responsible for care of the home, income -- all responsibilities are equal except, as I said, when limited by physical differences that cannot be overcome. We will not be having children but if we did, we would be equally responsible for their care. I would NOT be at a disadvantage because I am female. IF I felt I must stay home with my children I would be very upset if I could not support myself financially. Sherry in USA

Hi stephanie83,

Well in my views now a day both husband and wife work to make their life more simple and also for their childs good future.

Well there are 2 thing of women working.

1. If you have ur own business and if wife is helping you in business then for her life becomes more simple in terms of her flexibility of work. then understanding, taking care of childrens, work timings.. taking care of family and all.. so this is much more in interest of women .

2. Situation where Wife is working with corporates and tht time it is bit difficult for her to manage everything..and same time husbands get more and more worried about family when wife goes to work.. After a kid it becomes much more complicated for her.

Cheers!

as a male I should not have attempted to reply this post - still I felt that I can share my abservance. I have worked in an organisation where nearly 25000 to 30000 people were employed and nearly 25% to 30% are feamle. When comparing work female employees are on par with male employees - they sit bit late and finish their work and leave the office. Some of them even never employ house keep[servants] and they manage their houses on their own. at time they take help of their in-laws and parents. Now Indian woman knows better how to manage time - i.e. working both at Office and Home. While Indian woman give more respect to employment - when there is a testing time for choosing between work and home, they mostly prefer home. That critical time happens when they are crossing the age above 40 years.

This is a very interesting topic. I am not a woman and neither am i working but I know its very tough. Infact especially after childbirth, the going gets more tough and women usually take leave.

desi time u wil have to think about it from now.. coz this question will come before u whn ur married..all the best