Sisterhood Of The Travelling Angst

THE MONEY IS GOOD, WORK IS EXCITING AND THERE’S A CUTE CAFÉ AT EVERY CORNER. BUT LIFE IN THE BIG CITY IS NOT ALL THRILLS AND FRILLS. MITALI PAREKH TAKES A HARD LOOK AT THE EVERYDAY PROBLEMS WOMEN ENCOUNTER AS THEY TRY TO MAKE IT IN INDIA’S LARGEST METROS. NO, YOU’RE NOT ALONE.

- Mitali Parekh

What challenges do we, urban women with financial independence, spend our waking hours trying to solve? We spoke to many women across cities, and our problems are surprisingly similar. Those living north of Madhya Pradesh were concerned about safety the most; those living in bustling financial centres like Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore find time-management and the juggling of life and work roles the most challenging; and single women everywhere find owning their relationship status the hardest battle.

HAVING IT ALL

For a majority of women, juggling paying and non-paying labour takes up more mindspace than you’d think. There’s a constant effort to self-actualise through a fulfilling vocation, be an equal financial contributor in a relationship, and maintain order and organisation at home—all on a limited bandwidth.

“We set high standards for ourselves,” says Kavita Ramrakhiani. “I don’t want to be ordinary; I want to create an exciting life for myself.” The 39-year-old has just launched a strategic consultancy called The Curators to solve marketing issues. The equilibrium for Ramrakhiani would be regimented hours of work, regulated meals at the dining table instead of in front of a TV, and regular family time instead of a crash course on weekends.

The work-life balance quandary is specific to women. “Very often men don’t complain about work-life balance as they have been raised to view work as their first priority,” says clinical psychologist Salma Prabhu. For women, a thriving career in addition to an orderly home is the indicator of success.