Working women: Then and now

By on Saturday, January 12, 2008 - 16:24

Being a career woman was a lot harder back in the 70s than it is now, feels Geetha B. She says the women these days have a lot more options and support to pursue careers and manage homes well.

I first came to Bangalore in 1973; I was just 20 and had no idea how to find a job. I was on my own for the very first time. I had a friend here, that’s all. All I knew was that I wanted to become a teacher and Bangalore was the place for it. It was a hard, but it felt good when I figured out things on my own – the training institute and the job thereafter. My first salary was just Rs. 150 but I was elated. These days the girls have it a lot easier. They have a very clear idea of what to do at a very young age. They have access to information which wasn’t the case in our generation. They get guidance from all quarters – parents, teachers and the internet. There is such a wide variety of options to choose from too. Those days we either became teachers or bank employees; medicine was out of reach for most people and engineering wasn’t an option at all.

Being a working woman wasn’t simple back then. We had no role models to look up to. Very few women worked those days. But unlike now, women were respected; working women had a special place in the society. We were the women who had defied norms and made it on our own. However, there was very little we could do with the independence. It was unheard of that women headed out in groups or individually after dusk. All the fun ended at sunset. There were no Paying Guest accommodations and single women would not be given houses for rent. So we were hostel bound.

But I really admire the young women today. They love their freedom and fight hard to keep it. They don’t fear the societal rebuttal of women’s freedom. They know how to have fun day or night. There are instances of things going bad for them. That is to be blamed on the society which has refused to grow with these women. These women work hard to earn their money, so what if they want to have a little fun?

However, I do feel they spend way too much. They just don’t seem to think of the future. I find it difficult to splurge even now despite earning a higher salary. In our generation we had very little control over our money too. Many women had to handover their salaries to husbands and mothers-in-law. But today most women, if not all, have control over their money. They have a say in the economics of home, don’t have to wait for permissions from anybody.

This current generation is certainly more privileged. Yes, they do have to work a lot harder but they are paid well too. Some girls complain about having problems taking care of their children when they are at work. But they have crèches at offices, or close to workplace unlike us. We had to leave the kids with maids at home, who may or may not take care of the children. And if we are serious about our careers we have to work around these constraints. Even the men are of far better compatibility than in our generation. Women back then never had husbands who did housework or took care of babies. Yes, the number is small, but it is there. I feel the women should take advantage of the improved situations and get ahead in life. These are opportunities we didn’t have.
 

B Geetha has a great passion for teaching and has been a teacher for over 34 years now.