Every woman’s journey is different
I think financial dependence has different perspectives. Some women lack the confidence to take that step, while others are conditioned by love, circumstances, or orthodox mindsets. My mother is a homemaker, and although my father always encouraged her to be independent, she was comfortable being cared for by him. After his passing, that fear of stepping out only grew stronger. On the contrary, I had to step up and take on the responsibility of earning.
Every woman’s journey is different. While some struggle to find the courage, others pursue financial independence because they have no other choice. Ultimately, it comes down to confidence, conditioning, and circumstances.”
— Komalee Prasad, Actor
The pressure to always be strong
I believe one of the biggest silent battles women fight is the pressure to remain strong while silently struggling. We are expected to balance ambition, family, responsibilities and emotions without allowing ourselves to be vulnerable.
As a woman entrepreneur, I have learnt that every achievement comes with sacrifices, self-doubt and unspoken battles. I realised that strength isn’t about never breaking down, but finding the courage to rise again. A woman can be ambitious yet emotional, independent yet vulnerable, and successful without being perfect. We don’t always have to be strong to be powerful.”
— Anusha N Shetty, Managing Director, Anusha Shetty Designs Luxury Atelier
The guilt of never being enough
The expectation that women have to balance everything, and somehow do it all perfectly — Be ambitious, be present for your family, take care of yourself, and still find the time to maintain an active social life.
Personally, I am grateful to be invited, included, and wanted by the people around me. But I also feel guilty when my answer is almost always, ‘I’m at work.’ And when I’m not working, I genuinely want to spend every free minute I have with my daughter. I don’t know how other women manage to do it all, but if there’s one area where I feel like I’m falling short, it’s meeting social expectations.”
— Priyanka Chigrupati, Executive Director, Granules India Ltd.
Invisible battles of caregiving
Women have always been extremely skilled at multi-tasking. However, the load — the effort and work is extremely high and imbalanced compared to a man. Being a caregiver is lower in the priority list for a man. If men did their part and contributed more to raising children, domestic chores and emotional availability, women wouldn’t have such mountains to climb. I try not to be a victim to societal expectations. But my internal battles and my interpretation of those expectations have caused me a lot of angst in my 20s. Women fight those invisible battles everyday, no wonder we are so resilient.”
— Mallika Reddy, Entrepreneur and the visionary behind the sustainable fashion brands Cancelled Plans and Mall
The battle of beginning again
The hardest battle has been rebuilding myself through change while staying true to the work I set out to do. I have experienced how quickly recognition can come and how conditional it can be. Visibility, income and institutional affiliations can shape how people perceive you. When these change, the challenge is to keep their assessment from becoming your own. Receiving a special mention on Forbes India’s 30 Under 30 list was meaningful, but it could not answer the question of whether I believed in my direction during uncertain times. The real work has been allowing experience to change me without losing faith in that conviction.
— Sahithi Divi, Co-founder, Creative Economy Impact Collective
Cost of having it all
The biggest compromise is often the expectation that women must choose between being ambitious and being present for their families. Women are expected to build successful careers while carrying the primary responsibility for caregiving, often at the cost of their growth and well-being. As a mother and a professional, I believe ambition and family should not be competing priorities. Women should not have to feel guilty for pursuing their dreams, nor they have to sacrifice their identity to fulfil their roles at home. Real change must come from creating a culture where responsibility is shared and a woman’s ambition is supported.”
— Dr Varsha Reddy, Dermatologist, Zennara Clinic
Beyond the dependence
I’ve always believed that every woman has her own individuality, and that shouldn’t change to meet someone else’s expectations. I think what matters is not allowing those expectations to define your self-worth. Beauty should be about feeling comfortable and confident in who you are, rather than trying to fit in. I strongly believe that every woman should be encouraged to have an identity and financial understanding of her own. It gives you a sense of security and the confidence to make choices for yourself. For me, acting has given me an opportunity to build my own identity and learn through every experience
— Sridevi Apalla, Actor
The loneliness behind strength
Yes I always have that feeling of heaviness that just because I smile and roam around with good energy to comfort others no one even understands that am a widow and going through lot of constant pain to make myself better and my family happy. No matter how much I help others they always remember that one thing I couldn’t do for them.
Lucky my sons always encourage me and guide me. I am blessed with few friends who have my back at any given moment. But most of the times my kindness is being misused by many from years. They always exact more women. That’s the problem.”
— Sirisha Mulpuru, Homemaker and Brand Promoter
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
