I AM NOT A SUPERWOMAN AND NEITHER DO I INTEND TO BE ONE.

Super-Man– One who has extraordinary powers to save the world. He has great strength, ability to fly. He is super-intelligent.

Super-Woman– a woman with exceptional physical or mental ability, especially one who successfully manages a home, brings up children, and has a full-time job.

Why this difference? Why can’t a woman be a superwoman if she simply saves the world? Why does she need to worry about managing the home, kids, jobs etc? Isn’t the superman’s job a cakewalk compared to the superwoman’s?

He simply needs to focus on one thing, and if there is no threat to the world, he doesn’t need to manage the house, kids etc. to retain his superman title. However, a woman needs to be continuously on her toes to meet everyone demands to retain her title.

Why can’t a woman who simply chooses to focus and excel in her career be a super-woman? Why does she need to excel in the household chores?

Why does a woman who chooses to focus on her children and house not become a super-woman? Why does she need a high-profile, high-paying job to prove she is superwoman?

As they say, women are breaking boundaries. They are choosing fields which were hitherto male dominated. However, choosing a path breaking career does not catapult a woman to a superwoman position. She needs to prove her mettle in household chores, raising kids etc. There is a lot of pressure amongst women especially the working women to excel in every field. Doing an excellent job at work is great but can you bake a cake? Or do you get to spend enough time with your child after working so late?

And the housewives have a different dilemma altogether. Their work is not noticed to even garner appreciation. The funny part is, if she does a great job at managing the needs of her household, it is dubbed as a minimum expectation owing to the fact that she stays at home anyways. And if she is not managing well, then she is completely useless.

I don’t want to be a super-woman. After working for 12 hours in office, I cannot go back home and do all the household chores. I get tired too. And during my days off, I too like to relax. I would like to read a book or sleep or watch my favourite TV series all day. No, I don’t feel like cleaning my house or trying to cook a new exotic dish. I don’t care. I am human and surprisingly my hormones do not behave the way, they are expected. Since they are a rebel, so am I.

This post was published on  msaaw.in