Society has changed and women are no longer confined to their homes. Better educated and more aware of their potential, they are now playing their role towards a positive reconstruction of society.
And yet, for women, especially women in India, the major problem continues to be a satisfying career and a harmonious family life.
It always seems to be that you can’t have both and one needs to be sacrificed for the other.
So where lies the solution? In all honesty, there appears to be none, at least in general terms for ultimately it is up to the woman herself, she has to make the journey herself and each journey is unique! But help is always available in the form of experiences and the perspectives of those who have travelled the route before.
And here is the perspective of Padmasree Warrior, ‘Chief Technology and Strategy Officer’ (CTO) at the $40 billion ‘Cisco Systems’. Warrior is an alumnus of IIT Delhi, and features in the Forbes List of 100 most powerful women globally.
Here is what she has to say: “There is no such thing as a work-life balance. It is more about ‘Integration’. To me balance suggests there is a conflict between work and family, especially for a woman.
Women are always seen as the ones caught in a conflict. Hence I prefer to use the word integration. This means the woman has to tell herself it is ok not to be perfect in both. We need to prioritize.
There are some days when you must tell yourself that work is priority, so go ahead and give it your best shot. And then if there is a family occasion, the family gets priority. So I am saying, integrate. That's the best way to have both. Parents with young children must integrate their lives with work and their hobbies. Don't neglect anything. That's when guilt creeps in.”
