Tips For Working Mothers:  Mrinal works on the post of Vice President in a multinational company. The family consists of husband and two children. Husband also has a good position in another company and both the children are studying in a good college. Life is running at a good pace on track. But was it easy for Mrinal to reach this position? To this question Mrinal answers laughingly, “Absolutely not!” The manager in the office feels that we have to work only for them, while the family and society feel that we have to look after the home and children first.”  Mrinal says that raising children and office are two different jobs. And both are difficult. If you want to progress in your career while playing the role of a mother, then it is most important to create a balance between personal and professional life. But there is no single recipe to create a balance between the two, because every woman’s circumstances and challenges are different.

The situation of women today is quite different from earlier. A few generations ago, women were expected to stay behind the walls and take care of the home and children, but this is no longer the case today. Women are not only working outside the house, but are also fulfilling their responsibilities everywhere. Women are moving forward strongly in both motherhood and career. Motherhood is a pleasant feeling for every woman, but challenging for working women. If you look at your career, you will be worried about the child, if you look after the child, your efficiency will be reduced and if you look after both, there will be no time left for yourself. In such a situation, what is the right way to balance motherhood and career?

Getting support from family is very important.

Shweta has been working in a multinational company for 16 years. Along with work, she is also raising her two children well. She says that it is very important to have the support of the family to create a balance between home and office. If along with your partner, other family members also understand your problems and support you, then this path definitely becomes easier. Shweta recalls, 12 years ago when she became a mother for the first time. She was on maternity leave and was with her child the whole time. As the end of his vacation was approaching, his anxiety was increasing. She used to tremble at the thought of leaving her child at home and going to office for eight hours.

Shweta says, “I was thrilled and happily enjoying motherhood. Many times I thought of quitting my job. But she did not want to depend on her husband for personal expenses.”  According to Shweta, her parents also did not want her to leave her job and her education and degrees should go in vain. She further explains, “I thought I should try once before deciding to leave everything and sit at home. We hired a house help to take care of the child. Also got support from family. The initial days were full of struggle and guilt, but if you remain calm and strong, God opens doors for you.” Though

the pace of taking her career to heights was a little slow, Shweta managed to juggle motherhood and career. She continued to try to maintain a balance and that is why after the birth of her second child, she was determined not to leave her job even after the maternity leave was over.

Challenges for a working mother:

Whatever be the double career, it is not easy for working women to maintain a balance between both the things at the same time. Ritu, who has been in the IT sector for 13 years, is the mother of a four-year-old child. She says that becoming a mother is the most beautiful and pleasant experience of life for any woman, but the journey after becoming a mother is probably not easy for any woman. With this pleasant experience comes a lot of responsibilities and challenges. If the mother is working then her challenges double.

The biggest challenge faced by working women is to find a safe place for the child in their absence. Once a safe and reliable location is confirmed, things become a lot easier. However, she also believes that after the birth of the child, many things go on simultaneously in the minds of women, which can affect their work as well.

On one hand, she is making slides for an important project in the office, while on the other hand, in one corner of her mind, she is worried about whether the child has eaten food or not. Such conditions can affect their ability to concentrate at work, leading to reduced efficiency. Many times, despite having more capabilities, women are not able to work as well as they could and this definitely impacts their career. Women often have to make many sacrifices in both personal and professional lives.

A kind of feeling of guilt follows us all the time. Many times it seems that I am not able to give time to my family, sometimes I find less time for office and sometimes I don’t get time for myself. It is very important for working women to set priorities according to time, only then they can move forward while paying attention to both children and career.

Society’s preconceived notions about working mothers:

Another biggest challenge for working women after becoming mothers is that people around them become critical. Everywhere in office, home, society, people already have an idea about them. Many times, for women in the office, after becoming mothers, a preconceived notion is formed that they are not working to their full capacity. Then they are not given the opportunities and promotions that their colleagues are given, or if children fall sick at home, it is also considered to be the reason for the mother not paying full attention to the child. There is also a need to change such thinking towards women.

The important question is, what is the best way to balance motherhood and career? There probably cannot be a single or ready answer to this question, because every woman is different and her circumstances are also different. Motherhood is a full time job in itself and career is equally important. Juggling these two roles can feel like a never-ending challenge, but you’re not alone in this struggle.

Many working moms struggle to find the right balance between their personal and professional lives and the good news is that it is possible to do. With the right mindset and support, you can successfully manage both roles and be successful in both.

How to create balance: Don’t feel guilty;

set priorities for each day and move ahead. For example, if your child is ill, you should not feel guilty if you leave office early one day because you have done less work. It is important to complete your work with honesty and quality before the deadline. Similarly, going on a business trip does not make you a bad mother.

Help from others

A working mother is a superwoman, but even a superwoman needs help from time to time. Therefore, start sharing the responsibilities of being a parent with your partner. Taking care of the child is the responsibility of both the parents. If you have to stay at work for a long time, discuss child care options with your partner. Maybe your partner might be able to come home earlier for the next few weeks to prepare dinner for you and the kids.

Boundaries and Expectations

It may be a mistake to think that taking responsibility for everything will make you the best you can be. Instead of getting better, things may get worse. Therefore, learn not to speak where necessary.

Break for me-time:

Take some time out for yourself too. Assign occasional child care duties to your partner, family, or friends, so you can enjoy your alone time. The time you spend alone helps you feel relaxed and refreshed and you get ready to face the world again as a strong working mother.

Three important things –

Three things can prove to be very helpful in creating a balance between motherhood and career. The first is time management . If you decide and make it a habit to spend some time with your child after waking up in the morning and before sleeping at night, then things will become easier.

The second important thing is the right coordination with your life partner. This is important so that if you are needed more in the office, your partner can take care of the child and you can concentrate on your work without any worries.

The third important thing is family support . Family support is important because when both of you are busy, you need someone who can take care of the children. As far as women getting less opportunities after becoming mothers is concerned, things have changed a lot after Covid. Now there is the concept of work from home, which helps in getting equal opportunities for both men and women. Apart from this, if there is no support after becoming a mother, then instead of leaving the job and sitting idle, women can do many types of work from home.