Prof.Shibani Banerjee, Department of English, Sir Padampat Singhania University,Udaipur
Beatriz González del Valle, Project Officer, INCOMA, Spain
From times immemorial woman has been looked not as an individual but as an instrument who is there to support, seek approval and please man. It is indeed very clear in the term itself ‘woman’ as per the definition of the word taken as ‘woo’ that is trying to seek the favour, support, or custom of ‘man’. It is only with the advancement of time and the efforts made by several men and women that today she is being treated as an individual. The woman of today emerges as an entity and struggles hard to pave her path in the patriarchal society but independence and acceptance seems to be a far cry. Even today women, career, marriage and children are looked in totality. It is not just in India but throughout the globe there are different challenges that women have to face when they decide to pursue a career and establish their identity as an individual.
The notion of women coming at par with men or even higher is often not taken in the right perspective and she has to facea lot of brunt at several platforms to prove her mettle. A woman as a colleague or as a boss is not accepted easily in a patriarchal set-up. Furthermore when it comes to pay structure, acknowledging good work or a pay hike women seem to struggle as compared to the male folk and is often dejected as well. Studies prove that guidelines that emphasize individual merit and genderequality increase confidence in one’s ability to make objective decisions(Castilla & Benard, 2010)(Kaiser, et al., 2013). If women are appreciated at work place and looked objectively it will definitely boost the morale of young women particularly and they would be able to contribute in a much more constructive and effective manner. Individual merit must be given importance and success should be gender neutral only then women will get the encouragement to come in the mainstream and contribute their best.
A young and aspiring woman with great dreams for future never knows that she will have to face so many challenges to pursue her dream. Her struggle seems to be endless. At one hand she is struggling to establish herself at the workplace while on the other hand she tries to cope up with the work-life balance in the ‘new’ found world of family, in-laws and society. Work-life balance seems to be a pervasive concern for the employees as well as the employers. This struggle of existence in the work place and managing the dual responsibilities of family and work may lead to stress and affect the mental and psychological health of women. Kandel et al(Kandel, Davies, & Revies, 1985)studied the nature of specific strains and stresses among married women in their marital, occupational and house work roles. They found that strains and stresses are lower in family roles than in occupational and household roles among the married women. These have more severe consequences for the psychological well-being of women than occupational strains and stresses. In the same vein Hughes and et al.(Hughes & Glinsky, 1994) feel that multiple roles have also been found to cause a variety of adverse effects on women’s mental and physical health, including loss of appetite, insomnia, overindulgence, and back pains.In response to these employers have innovative practices that allow employees to find greater work-life balance (Friedman, Christensen, & DeGroot, 1998).
Initiatives such as flexible working hours, alternative work arrangements, leave policies and benefits in lieu of family care responsibilities and employee assistance programmes have become a significant part of most of the company benefit programmes and compensation packages. Such practices should be given importance at the same time the family too needs to cooperate with women and help her in the household chores. The combined efforts shall benefit the organization as well as the family, increase the work productivity and improve the psychological well- being of women.
Following the last analysis of UN Women and OECD, when women are integrated in labor market, the economic growth of the region is faster(Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2012)Statistics from several countries show that increasing the income controlled by women changes spending patterns and benefits children.
In general terms, it has been identified that companies are highly benefited when they count with women in positions of responsibility, as they improve their organizational effectiveness(Women Matter, 2014).
Inclusion of women in labor market is always positive from different perspectives. Following Booz & Company estimations, equal work between men and women could have a direct impact on GDP, even in we consider the possible losses in productivity produced by the arrival of new workers in labor market(Aguirre, Hoteit, & etal., 2012)
To conclude women have immense prospects of growth, development and sustainability. All the segments of the society need to work in coordination with each other that shall be beneficial for the society as well as for the country. Education, culture and good habits transcend from generation to generation in the same line if a woman is given the opportunity to grow and pursue her career it shall be trendsetting and exemplary. Women too need to come forward and know their skills and abilities and work in that direction to give their best. A healthy, prosperous and progressive world requires the contribution from all sectors and each one must contribute their best to make the world a better place to ‘live-in’.
