Nov 17, 2018

Behind Every Successful Woman

Behind every successful man, they say, is a woman- It could be a wife (primarily), a mother (often), a girlfriend, a friend, a sister, a daughter, a colleague or a subordinate too. And what about the numerous successful women who have achieved the same success as that of 'successful' men? Actually, if we can do away with those done-to-death parameters for a while, every person is successful in their own way, but let's keep that discussion for some other day!

So, coming back to what started here- who is behind a successful woman? Are there women here who can say that there is a man behind their success. Does a man, any man, have it in himself to contribute selflessly to a woman's success, like a woman does for a man?

Women are inherently wired to put others before themselves, especially when it comes to putting their husbands and children before themselves. Even at workplaces, women find it difficult and even impossible at times to take the lead, to take credit for a task done by a team (which comes to men very naturally) or to boast of their contribution in successful projects, forget about breaking the glass ceiling.They happily stay at the backseat, contributing tirelessly to their workplace, and are even made to feel lesser than their male counterparts who spend longer hours at work (and can do so just because there is a woman 'behind' them).

Who backs the stay-at-home mother who works round the clock, making everything available to every member of the family at the right time, and in perfect measure? Who supports the maids, who wake up at unearthly hours to cook for their families, and then work all day, cleaning other's houses, doing other's laundry and taking care of other's kids? Who is there for the woman who works from home, managing her household chores as well as making some additional income to shoulder the responsibility of the family? Who cares for the women working outside homes as teachers, nurses, drivers, pilots, media executives, municipality workers, high-flying professionals and what not?

A man may be happy for a woman doing well, and may motivate and inspire her to achieve more, but contributing in her day-to-day chores and responsibilities so that she gets some relief? Naah, that is an extremely rare breed. I mean come on, a woman is as tired as a man after spending the entire day working (whether at an office or at home), but a man is entitled to his mother/wife/sister/daughter offering him a cup of coffee or tea when he returns home from work, while a woman is not! (Just imagine a husband/father/brother/son offering tea or coffee to a tired woman - sounds too good to be true, right?) And this is the simplest of examples! How is it that women hardly get the opportunity to pursue their hobbies and passions?

And what are we doing about it? Isn't it extremely important to raise boys to be sensitive to the needs of women around them? They need to be taught that all workload is meant to be shared, and women have to be freed up from unnecessary and unwarranted tasks so that they can also pay attention to their own growth and development- personally, professionally and otherwise too. They have to learn and understand that a woman is as entitled to pursue what she likes and be respected for it as a man is, and that there is nothing wrong with being 'behind' a successful woman.