Women Empowerment - A Domestic Backlash

“At work, when you act like 'one of the boys', they call you abrasive and difficult. So, if you act like a woman, they say you're emotional and difficult. So, difficult is 

really just the word for anything that isn't a man.” – Allison Henderson

Being a woman is difficult, as Allison Henderson says so aptly in the movie, ‘I Don’t Know How She Does It’. Through the generations, we have seen women fight for their rights to equality. And, through the generations, we have also seen the world more accepting. Not as accepting as we may want, but we have come a long way from the time where women were only perceived as showpieces and assets for men.

 But, even as women struggle for recognition and acceptance in the society and at work, one might expect approval and cooperation, or atleast a few kind words of acknowledgement from what most consider their safe haven. You might be surprised.

The question here is does a woman ambition to be recognized as an equal to man professionally, cause them problems at home?

 The general idea you get when you put women and home together is kitchens and kids, and cooking and cleaning. The problem arises when one perceives the words - work, woman and home, when put together, as oxy-morons. . Hence, they become unacceptable.

For centuries, men were the sole bread-winners of the family. Even with the changing times and even as they see their female colleague at work, when it comes to their own homes and their own wives’ working, their ego takes a hit and their Neanderthal tendencies dominate. A man’s inability to accept his wives reversal of roles is the primary cause of conflict. And, if she holds a better job and has a better pay, then it’s like fuel to a blazing inferno.

Men filing for divorce on the grounds of their wives’ supposed incompetency to take care of homes as she ‘playing the man’s role’ have become all too common. To a father, the more his daughter studies and higher her pay is, more difficult it is to procure a groom for her.

‘Charity starts at home’, it is said. But, in these cases, so does heartbreak and demoralization. In a world where society is capricious and judgmental, home should be her anchorage and sanctuary.

Yes, the times are changing. The world has become more accepting, as we see living proof of women succeeding in their personal and professional lives. Men, accepting, encouraging and supporting their partners to success and beyond. Parents, being her backbone for her endeavors. If you are a part of typical middle-class family, then your mother probably works, as does mine. And most of the time I am in awe of her.

As the saying goes, ‘behind every man, there is a woman’, it is as important to have the inverse be true. There are so many challenges and problems a woman has to triumph over to make her aspirations, a reality. Support her, if you can, but, don’t cripple her passions.


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