Get Inspired, Be Empowered Forums Gender Justice Why is work-life balance predominantly preached to women?

15 replies, 15 voices Last updated by Anushka Chakraborty 9 months, 1 week ago
  • Manpreet Singh
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    @manpreet
    #33310
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    The term “work/life balance” could be described as a balance in which the requirements of both the work and the personal life of a person are equal. This phrase was coined in 1986, although its use was irregular for several years in the ordinary language. Initiatives of work and life balance are a global phenomenon. Abraham (2002) said women working have a double load as a homemaker and employment. They are great mothers who fulfill several roles and reconcile tradition with modernity. Job and control over their work and personal life are also wanted by employees in international communities. Women in India have battled to build an identity and a living environment for society and for labor. Research has been substantial The relevance on organizational performance of Work-Life Balance was emphasized.

    Work-life balance is described in its largest meaning as an “adjustment” between numerous tasks of a single individual. Thus, these practices include flexible hours of work (for example, flexible hours, allowing employees to change their time of start and end provided they work specific hours; Little work week, where employees work a whole week. Working from the house (telework), sharing full-time work with two employees (job sharing), family vacation programs (such as parental leave, parental leave, daycare, and financial/or information services on the premises). Changes are mostly due to a major cultural shift in the parental perspective, which means greater acceptability of educating girls that enable women to work outside their homes, contribute financially to their families and even pursue their careers. Women have to work hard to show them at work.

    They have immense pressure. Career Women often express anxiety that they are unwilling to take on such a role and that they are challenged.’ The concerns of Indian women in most of the existing literature are mostly limited to technical issues that inhibit business activities. It was hypothesized that gender is a crucial moderating component when studying the interaction between job and personal life. In Whitehouse et al. (2008) the bulk of the family’s care obligations are the fairer sex, even if female participation in the workforce is largely acknowledged. Although the phenomenon is worldwide, for a developing country like India, the problem is particularly important. Reform in Indian society is sluggish yet, in a courageous transition to modernity, women clearly begun to struggle toward social change. This is not the responsibility of the man in India. It would take a long time in India to achieve equality between men and women.

    Afshan Iqbal
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    As we see, the times have changed and it’s not just a man’s world anymore. Women are making an impact in every field and they are leading in every way. There is no place where we find women any less than men. So, it’s very important to give them the well-deserved positions that society has always ignored just because of their gender. Women were always supposed to work at home and the fact that women are working outside homes is still not digested by society so the concept of work-life balance is always preached to a woman. When a woman is seen doing a job, the one question that pops up in everyone’s mind is “How will she manage?”. People start assuming that a working woman won’t be able to manage her personal and professional life and will be bad in either of them. People start judging her and make a prior conception that she is a bad wife/mother/daughter-in-law/employee etc. Women also may face career problems because of stereotypes that they are more family-oriented and less committed to their careers. When this concept is only preached to women, it becomes a problem because men have a similar struggle just as a woman has in her work-life. But this question How will you manage? or the judgments are only for a working woman. We need to understand that women are capable enough to be the best in their work-life. Women know how to handle work-life and they do it in their own ways.

    Shreya Shukla
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    @shreya
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    Work-life balance is preached to women because of pre-existing patriarchal thinking. Women have been expected to take care of their families and children. It’s unfortunate to say that but women are pressurised for all kinds of household chores. Though it is not written in any mythological books or law still it is presumed, girls have to take care of everything and don’t matter what they are going through.
    They have to do everything irrespective of her needs. Most of the time she keeps her personal needs and works at the last of her priority list. Since her childhood, she is made to realize that after marriage she has to make a balance between her job and household tasks. And suppose if she gets a spouse who supports her by helping her then also people say that his wife is so irresponsible that he has to work even in the house. We need an understanding and a changed mindset of society. Women are also human beings, they need some care, respect and support too. Everyone should help them at their level.

    Aditi Sahu
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    @aditi
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    Our society has made it a habit to make women’s life as difficult as possible. They keep policing and preaching them on millions of topics. One such topic is that of work-life balance. Society makes a point of it to preach to all married women with or without kids to place the importance on family first and work next. Obviously family and life should be kept first if it ever comes to it, but the society just can’t bear that a woman is giving equal importance to her work. They always feel that her work, whether paid or unpaid is secondary and that her husband’s is the primary source of income and hence is the only work that matters.

    The mindset that only women are supposed to place more importance on work-life balance is highly patriarchal in nature, and it should be recognised by people that they are doing nothing making women’s lives miserable by constantly preaching them on what to do and what not to do. I think women should be allowed to make choices for themselves as they are fully capable to do. They shouldn’t be preached and policed for work, nor for life, and neither on any other matter.

    038 deepika Singh
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    Many women across different parts of the world does not have the choice of pursuing their career. They are stripped away from education and entitled to some other man once they reach a certain age. Men are put with unlimited power in their hands to choose what they think is best for their wives, daughters, mothers or sisters. They are often told and taught to maintain their work- life balance.

    This causes them to sacrifice their education, dreams, jobs and body. And somehow all this have been so normalized that we do not even pay much heed to it. We raise the issue of gender equality, gender stereotypes, sexism, feminism, patriarchy, but we fail to acknowledge the root cause behind all such matters. The right to choose. A woman has the right to choose the best for herself and her body and I believe that no one should intervene in it.

    Anushka Chakraborty
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    The idea that work-life balance is primarily promoted to women is a complicated problem affected by a number of variables. While it is true that talks about work-life balance frequently center on women, it is crucial to remember that both men and women may benefit from and value work-life balance. The following elements affect perception and provide information about the larger context.
    First and foremost, cultural expectations and gender norms are important. In the past, women have traditionally been in charge of doing home duties and providing care. As more women entered the workforce, the conversation around work-life balance became more important in order to address the difficulties women encountered in juggling work and home responsibilities.
    The second significant issue is gender disparity in the workplace. In terms of less prospects for job progression, income discrepancies, and prejudices, women still experience gender inequities. Because of this, talks on work-life balance frequently emphasize the necessity of flexibility and support for women to successfully manage their many duties. It is thought that improving these gaps will help women have a better work-life balance.
    Thirdly, maternity leave and caring for a family are important factors. The capacity of women to manage work and personal life can be strongly impacted by their reproductive duties, including pregnancy, delivery, and childcare. As a result, debates on work-life balance frequently touch on the particular difficulties experienced by women in juggling their jobs and obligations to their families. Women are frequently encouraged to support policies like maternity leave and flexible work schedules to meet their multiple commitments.
    Norms of culture and society also influence perception. The assumption that work-life balance is largely a woman’s problem can be sustained by societal conventions and cultural expectations regarding women’s roles and responsibilities. These standards may affect the idea that women should put their families and caring for others first, which may result in a greater focus on work-life balance for women.
    However, it is crucial to recognize that work-life balance is a universal concern that applies to individuals of all genders. Men also face challenges in balancing work and personal life, and there is a growing recognition of the importance of work-life balance for men as well. Efforts are being made to promote work-life balance for both men and women to create more equitable and inclusive workplaces and societies. By shifting the discourse to encompass work-life balance for all individuals, irrespective of gender, we can foster environments that support the well-being and success of everyone.

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