Issues and Challenges of Working Mothers and Parenting

In these days women consider freedom of thought, speech and work are

completely natural. However, in order to achieve this freedom they had to struggle for a long time.

In India women have attained a lot and still there are domains of life in which

women are discriminated.

Working mothers often face challenges balancing their responsibilities as a parent and as an employee. Some of the issues they may face include:

Guilt: working mothers may feel guilty for not spending enough time with their children, or for leaving them in childcare.

Time management: working mothers have to manage their time effectively to balance work, parenting, and household responsibilities.

Childcare: finding affordable and reliable childcare can be a challenge for working mothers.

Stereotypes and discrimination: working mothers may face stereotypes and discrimination in the workplace, such as being seen as less committed to their job or less competent.

Lack of support: working mothers may lack support from their employers, such as flexible work arrangements or parental leave.

Financial burden: working mothers may face financial burdens, such as the cost of childcare and the potential loss of income if they take time off work to care for their children.

Mental and physical fatigue: working mothers may experience mental and physical fatigue from juggling multiple responsibilities.

Social isolation: working mothers may feel isolated and disconnected from their communities and support networks

Superwoman complex: Many working mothers have a hard time asking for help and have a hard time saying no to work which leads to burnout and stress.

Lack of role models: Many working mothers face a lack of role models who have successfully navigated the challenges of balancing work and parenting.

Women's roles in society have begun to change, especially with the emergence of many women's

movements. Despite those changes, barriers that prevent women from working still exist. Not

only do men see parenting as fundamentally female, they also see the pursuing of a career also

fundamentally a male prerogative.

Historically, women have suffered oppression and domination by the patriarchal society in India and

have faced many problems and challenges. Women were taught to accept their position through the

socialization process and also that all rules and regulation made only for women they

were bound to follow including their 'initiation rites.' They are taught to be obedient wives

and sisters and also to respect their elders; manners are taught to them, like how to walk,

talk, sit, and work at home and many others. They are neither considered as individuals

with a personality of their own, nor have any personal life of their own. They are told that a man

could marry more than one woman and the wife has to accept it silently, blaming it on their own

fate. The inferior positions of women in the traditional Indian society have been reinforced by a

number of traditional practices such as polygamy, early marriage, and illiteracy and by

years of subjugation. Many of these practices are still found in some places in the country.