The superwoman of the house

Why are you wasting your three degrees by sitting idle at home?” this is the question 26-year-old homemaker and housewife Priyanka Diwan is often asked. She got married over a year ago and feels “satisfied” with the life she is living with her in-laws.

“Some of my married friends are working professionals and their life is usually restricted to the weekends.  I feel very lucky to have opted for stay at home to take care of my family, instead of doing a job just for the sake of going out.”

 Not denying the fact that being independent and standing on one’s own feet is extremely important, at the same time, in a country like India, we will always be surrounded by family values and responsibilities.

When we speak of homemakers or ‘housewives’ in today’s time, compared to the generation of our mothers and grandparents, a considerable evolution has taken place in family dynamics.

Gone are the times when their dependency on husbands and family was inevitable. With women like Diwan and a few more homemakers Metrolife got in touch with, it is easy to illustrate how their life isn’t as miserable as it has often been projected. The word “housewife” is slowly been replaced with an apt word “homemaker”.

The change in attitude, says Dr Ashish Mittal, is because the present-day housewives are able to identify their problems more openly and confidently.

“They are active socially, are better informed and are aware of the world around them which is why housewives have transformed as better, independent and strong homemakers,” Dr Mittal, consultant psychiatrist, Columbia Asia Hospital, tells Metrolife.

The shift in responsibility is a by-product of nuclear household where a woman’s role has become multidimensional.

Jiya Jethi, another homemaker, 26, says she’s “proud to be called a housewife”. “I don’t think progressing or modernity means continuing to work even after marriage.

Taking responsibility, managing household budget, saving money and many other things are tedious tasks that every homemaker does,” she says.

“I would say that I’m way more independent than any married working woman can be. When I look at my mother, who has been a homemaker for 28 years, I see a huge difference between me and her.”

“While her life has revolved around my father and our family, I focus all my attention on develo-ping a healthy household and to myself,” adds Jethi.

Similarly, Diwan feels being a homemaker has made her mature and to keep herself busy she has involved herself in family business. “I’m just 26 and I feel much more responsible than I ever was,” says Diwan who also helps her father with marketing and client servicing for his business and her husband with his online business while working from home.

“So it’s not like I’m unproductive. Instead of going out and stressing myself to work for someone else, I work for our family business and this also gives me time to share all good moments with my family and be around them, always,” she adds.

When women like Jethi and Diwan are happily living the life of modern homemakers, the clichéd notion of “boring and meaningless” life of housewife can be redefined in a modern household setup that seeks balance to run a smooth household.