INDIA, July 9, 2011 (by Tavishi Paitandy Rastogi for the Hindustan Times): In the Seventies, feminists urged women to go out of their homes and work. Domesticity limited their potential, women were told, they could do much more with their lives than remain restricted to their nurturing and homemaking roles. ‘What men can do, women can do too, and maybe better” was their anthem.
Now, the idea of women going out to work is commonplace. Economic independence has been the buzzword for women for years now. However, a growing number of women today are actually choosing not to go out into the workplace. Maybe they’ve tried working and opted out because they couldn’t manage home and office. Maybe they’ve stopped working to bring up their children. Maybe they still work out of the house, or do a bit of free lance work. Or maybe it’s none of the above – maybe they want to stay at home.
Today, women can choose – to step out or to stay in. Adds Dr. Syed Mubin Zehra, social analyst, columnist and author, “It is a very conscious and individual decision. One that is without any sort of pressure. And thus holds a lot of value and is far more fulfilling.”
The choice to stay at home, however, is governed by a host of factors. Unnati Kant, an HR professional, decided to quit and stay at home because she felt that her responsibilities towards her home were higher on her priority list. “It wasn’t the happiest decision but it wasn’t the saddest either. Work was important but there were other things as well. We wanted to start a family. Bringing up a child, I knew, was a full time job, so I gave up the other one. Also, the decision was purely mine. No one told me to quit. But I didn’t want to compromise on the quality time that I could devote to my child if I stayed at home. Besides, the choice to go back to work is always open, right? My qualifications exist and so does the support from family. So why crib?” asks Unnati.
[HPI note: For much more — it’s a long and well-done article — click on source, above.]