by Jherlyn Meneses/AJPress
If you’re a working mom, and you’re juggling the three hectic roles of being a wife, a mother and an employee at the same time, it’s time to hold your chin high, give yourself a nice pat in the back and tell yourself that: “Woman, you rock!”
Why not? Being a mom, for one, is already a gargantuan task. This may sound too cliché but carrying a child in your womb for nine months, with all the sickness and weight issues that accompany pregnancy, could be a totally punishing experience for the weak of heart.
The arduous task of nursing and caring for the baby, also, could be vigorously extraneous to the inexperienced.
Achieving the “American Dream” is difficult indeed for working moms like me. Moms, sadly, have to wear different hats, two or three at times, to keep up with the enormous responsibilities on their hands.
Daily, you are faced with several tasks of working, raising your kid and addressing an endless list of domestic chores. How’s that for a challenge?
Any person with feeble health might suffer a stroke when confronted with this anxiety-provoking lifestyle. Although oftentimes you feel you’re on the verge, getting sick is absolutely not an option.
Back in the Philippines where there is a multitude of help, child care and keeping one’s household spic-and-span are not so complicated. Either you have relatives to assist you, or hire a housekeeper / babysitter at your beck and call.
Here in the US, you’re on your own. If you can afford to pay a sitter or a house help, you are blessed! A sitter’s fee is equivalent to a full month’s salary of a minimum wage earner, nowadays. Whew!
In a recent survey made by the US Census Bureau, it was reported that 7 out of 10 mothers are in the labor force. Working moms account for almost a fifth of all employed individuals and nearly a quarter of employed mothers usually work full-time.
Aside from working full-time, these mothers also spend more than 2 hours each day performing active childcare, cleaning the house and preparing meals.
“The situation they face is not just simply employment, but combining employment with motherhood & housekeeping. Since women continue to be the principal caretakers of children, how do they combine work and family roles over the course of their lives?” the survey asked.
There are a lot of reasons why Pinay moms work. Most women work to augment the family’s income; others, to become self-sufficient; still some work to simply attain a certain form of personal fulfillment or a higher self-esteem.
For many women, it’s empowering especially if you bring home another paycheck. It is also a way for self-improvement. Some perks such as the healthcare and retirement benefits entice women to hold on to their jobs. However, the demands and the pressures on mothers these days are not commensurable, still, to whatever gratifications they receive.
A lot of us try to be the best mom, an excellent wife and a proficient worker. To women, nothing could be better than having a happy home and a successful career.
But we must also give ourselves a break. Let’s pause and take stock. After all, we’re only human beings.
Hats off to all working moms out there! (www.asianjournal.com)
The Asian Journal Blog 