Impact of Multiple Roles on Professional Women’s Life in India - An Overview

Abstract

During earlier decades, there were some man-made boundaries and restrictions for women, but now with the progress of time, there is a huge change in the status of women in terms of education, employment, and economic standard. Today’s women are playing various crucial roles in different sectors of economy as well as in their day-to-day life. They are likely to manage multiple roles at the same time. Roles like looking after the family and children, managing professional responsibilities etc. However, the primary expected responsibility of the women is to manage home while working. Nevertheless, the major problems for working women arise from balancing responsibilities of both work life and personal life simultaneously. It is also perceived that failure in any role would lead her to social disapproval and rejection. When women step out from her home to work, she is likely to have mixed experiences. While the standard of living may improve, they are also likely to face greater demands from their roles, whether professional or personal. This may cause a considerable amount of stress and strain to her, which also affects her professional and family life and sometimes affects her mental and physical health. The present study attempts to answer a few questions regarding working women and their multiple roles. The study is completely based on secondary data. With this study, an attempt is made to give a better understanding of the different roles played by women, how it is difficult for women to juggle between different roles, and lastly, how these roles affect the career-related decisions of women.