Work From Home And plight of working women

Typing on a laptop from one hand, feeding a baby from another hand, in between running towards the kitchen, taking milk from the milkman, getting scolded by the boss for joining a late team meeting, did you visualize the scene. No, this is not the story of any serial or movie, this is the real day-to-day life of a working married woman. Their woes have been increased due to complete lockdown, no house help is available which is considered the backbone of any household in metro cities.

The outbreak of covid-19 has made everything still. Most of the countries of the world are fighting against the deadly disease and trying to find out ways to overcome it. Due to the pandemic, the whole world is under lockdown. The Indian government also announced a 21 days lockdown for the entire country. In this moment of utter distress, we still have to work to meet our business and end meet. People are working for home by choice or by force. Everybody is appreciating our heroes such as doctors, paramedic staff, armed forces, essential services who are working tirelessly to provide their service apart from them we too have our unheard heroes such as our working women. They were managing both office and home efficiently earlier but this work from home has created tremendous problems for them. 

Chaos everywhere
In the beginning of anything there remains so much chaos. It takes some time to figure out how to move in the chaotic situation.As a working married woman, you may be completely overwhelmed to see plethora of official and house work. Don't panic, stay calm that too shall pass.

Work From Home Vs Work For Home 

For the whole world, it's just "work from home" where they have to complete their assigned task but for a married working woman it does not only work for home but also work for home. When a woman goes to office, she completes her work and once she enters the office only official work needs to be done but in this lockdown period when they have to work from home with kids on school holidays and spouse works from home as well, it becomes unimaginably difficult to manage both things.

Kids Screentime

When a woman is working she needs to take care of kids as well. When mothers are busy with their work kids tend to spend more time on screen be it mobile, television, or laptop. Most women feel guilty for increasing the screen time of their kids.

Meeting, Conferences, Household Chores

This lockdown period has created havoc in a working woman's life as they are indulging in meetings, conferences and simultaneously doing household chores which are physically and emotionally draining. A mom's job is more difficult than an executive and it's become quite difficult when you have to manage both.

Read More - Nearly 50% of India’s working women more stressed due to pandemic: LinkedIn

Keeping the house moving 

Though the outside world is stopped, working married women have their own challenges, the Corona outbreak and plight of working women are churning between work and house chores. Women need to keep moving house at any cost. Cooking, cleaning, official meetings, teamwork, and the list are very long. All works are equally important, nothing can be skipped.

Physical And Psychological Woes 

Directly or indirectly it's impacting your physical and mental well-being. When you're overburdened with work and your brain has piles of tasks coming in one after another, gradually it starts to exhaust. Women are also human beings, overburdened work leads to fatigue, irritability, mood swings which certainly impact your overall health.

How To Minimise The Impact 

This is an unpleasant situation that cannot be overturned. The lockdown is necessary and compulsive there is no reason to escape from it. So, there are some tips that effectively can Corona outbreak and plight of working women make your journey smooth.  

1-Prioritize your Tasks 

Right now, as a working married woman, you might have plenty of tasks and work in your mind. Give some break to yourself, slow down, think wisely, if you calmly look at your task, you may find some can be delayed for a month or so, not everything needs your immediate attention. You just need to prioritize your tasks to smooth the functioning of your life.  

2-Happy woman makes a happy family

They say a happy woman is a myth but believe me this thinking itself is a myth. A person whether man or woman cannot make others happy if he/she is not happy. It's your responsibility to make yourself happy before thinking about others. You have to find some time for yourself even in this situation. It would be inappropriate to suggest rest for a working married woman at this moment but yes lots of cans are done to make yourself happy. Don't forget to hydrate yourself, eat healthily and don't skip meals, take care of your screen time while working from home. Corona outbreak and plight of working women

 3-Don't run for perfection 
Most of the women want perfection in everything, they want a perfectly clean and tidy home. Though cleanliness should not be compromised, other things can wait until your house help comes. It's okay if your house does not look as beautiful as it used to be. Kids are home full-time so there is no point in wasting your energy in decorating your house 10times a day, it can certainly wait. 

 4-Use of technology in daily chores 

You can take the benefits of modern technology in the current scenario. Use automated tools for your daily chores. You can have vegetable chopping machines, flour kneading machines, devices that help in cleaning. These things can be used in day-to-day life, not only now but also in a normal situation, you'll get a lot of help from tools and techniques. Manual work requires more energy and time, automation is fast and less lethargic.

5-Ask for help 

Don't try to be a goddess, you're a human being with limited capabilities. If your spouse is a Corona outbreak and the plight of working women working from home, you too are working from home. People should help in daily chores by themselves but if they're not mature enough to realize their duty, it's your responsibility to make them understand their duties. Divide work among the family members give age-appropriate tasks to kids. In that way, everyone will get engaged and get quality time. It's proven kids who help in daily chores become more independent and self-sufficient. Taking care of yourself should also be a priority.