Opportunities and Challenges of Working from Home for Women

Work from Home is both a boon and curse for Women all around the world. Being a working woman and mother of one, I can safely say, I have a love-hate relationship with Working From Home.

At times, it’s the most wonderful side effects of a pandemic, something that worked in favor of not one but millions of women and men (Let’s, not stereotype gender).

But then there are the other times when you would prefer an office, a cabin, and a receptionist that can keep unwanted distractions at bay while you are busy working on a project.

Let’s face it, we bit more than we could chew. Working from home is a boon and a bane and both at the same time, especially for women.

I still remember when this trend started and women were ecstatic at the thought of getting to keep their career and have a family and there was so much optimism.

We, women, tend to have enormous self-confidence when it comes to multi-tasking since by the time we reach our 20s we are juggling several roles and how.

The fact that it would be exhausting never even crossed my mind as I had been through endless nights without sleep and surviving on caffeine. But this is not the same. I’ll tell you how! Let’s see all sides and then decide.

Why is Work from Home working for Women?

There is not a modicum of doubt that Working from home has bestowed upon us several great opportunities that we would have missed otherwise.

There are so many restraints that hold us women back from getting ahead in our professional lives and no amount of maternity leaves, daycares, and even period leaves can fix them.

We have bigger responsibilities, that of raising a family, the most important thing in the world. Some of us run away from it because our careers are more important and that’s great but many of us get stuck in this tug of war of juggling both and that’s extremely tough.

Thus, Work from home came to the rescue of such hardworking superwomen and it saved us from unwanted office meetings that could have been an email and skipped lunches that turned into long video calls with our kids to see what’s up with them.

To many women, being close to their loved ones weighed a thousand times more than staying up all night to finish up work. Including me and plenty of women I know.

Work From Home has many pros like:

1. Work-Life Balance

We discovered that the mythical term called work-life balance exists. Working professionals have been striving to strike a balance between work and personal life and failing miserably. Because to get ahead you have to give up on either one. Startup founders must know what I’m talking about. The same was the case with women, one just cannot leave her important client meeting for a PTA meeting. But today they are managing to do so. All they need is a laptop and wifi. Cars are now their offices and life is so much happier and balanced. 

2. More Saving

This is not just the case with women but with any working professional who lives in a longer proximity to work. A huge part of one’s salary goes into commute. Working from home is like earning a little extra and for women already struggling with income inequality, saving can never be a bad thing.

Not to mention, single mothers work as hard but are paid less. Working from home is helping in any way economically.

3. No More Exhaustion from Commute

The daily commute is probably the most hated part of the day of any office goer. I remember thinking how if only I could remove the traveling part from my daily work routine and everything would be so much better. Well, now it’s gone. Such a relief to anyone who spent hours traveling daily by metro or cabs and just wanting to get home to their loved ones before dinner. Let’s not even get started on Traffic and just thank god for this new era of remote working.

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4. Peace of Mind

Mother’s guilt is a real thing, something so powerful that it makes highly career-oriented women quit their jobs and be with their kids. Most working mothers would agree that they are the most thankful for Work from home to give them the chance to be with their kids. We are in 2021 and gender roles are blurring but nobody can care for a child better than its mother and this fact remains unchanged in any century. In short, Working from home equals working at peace which undoubtedly means more productivity.

5. More Time for Her Passion

Another important pro of remote jobs, more time to do what you love. Women are embracing their passion now more than ever. Whether it is fitness, or cooking, or even making youtube videos and becoming micro-influencers, work from home has enabled women to take on various roles and enjoy doing them. They can now read and even write, they can do more of what they love.

6. Lesser leaves for trivial reasons

I can’t even remember the number of leaves I took in the past year for reasons like a pediatrician appointment. A three-hour session would cost me a day of work and that is not fair. Yes, half days are enough but it’s exhausting and unyielding. But with Remote jobs, this problem has vanished as well. Women don’t need to take an entire day off to take care of their trivial responsibilities which could also be done by the husbands but let’s face it, we are not there yet.

7. No office Politics

This one’s my favorite. Office politics are a big problem in big corporations and usually, women have a huge role to play in them. Not only are they the ones discussing others, but they are also the ones being discussed. It takes a toll on the mental health of workers who aren’t as resilient and guess what they quit. Let’s replace office gossip with spending quality time with family and you’ve got yourself a happy work life. Win-Win?

8. Avoiding Sexual Harassment

Sexual Harassment is a monstrous issue faced by millions of women and the catalyst to me too movement. Affecting the daily lives of several women, ruining their careers, and impacting their mental health in so many ways. The most important result of Remote Working is Avoiding sexual harassment at the workplace. Now women can work, get promoted, and have a pleasant work-life just like men, from the safety and comfort of their homes.

Work From Home Challenges:

Just as every coin has two sides, Work from home is not free from problems too. Many challenges come with working remotely, particularly for women and some of them aren’t fair.

1. Additional Household Responsibilities

It’s not news that Women take care of most of the household chores and while Work from home has allowed them to take care of work and home together, nobody talked about its effect on their health. Office hours at least helped them get a break from housework to focus on their career. Mixing home and work is taking a toll on their mental and physical health even if they manage to keep their careers afloat. 

2. Plenty of Distractions

As mentioned earlier, women have taken upon them the impossible task of working while managing their households which means no more daycare. Yes, it’s a good thing as most daycares can’t be trusted with the wellbeing and safety of kids, and staying close to your kids 24 * 7 is the best thing ever, but it is exhausting. Handling a screaming baby while trying to write an email is probably the most difficult thing after giving birth to one. Also, there are plenty of distractions that women go through, which makes them nearly crazy, which no amount of clean house and home-cooked meals can fix.

3. Lack of Motivation

Stats say that more than 50% of working women find it difficult to stay motivated while working from home. Now it could be anything, but most importantly lack of boundaries, household chores on the mind and distracting family members would do it. Motivation goes out the window and they are left with plenty of work piled up to be done during the night, and hence even sleep is affected. 

4. Difficulty in Making Connections

As if it was easier for women to climb up the corporate ladder, now adding a virtual wall isn’t helping them build connections. Most women face issues while keeping their points virtually and aren’t able to showcase their true potential at work. Bosses are already making assumptions about the quality and hours of work women must be doing while raising a family. We can easily incur the adverse effects that Remote Work is having on their career growth.

5. Adverse effects on Mental Health

Most women don’t even know about it, but they are going through depression during the pandemic. Working longer hours, working non-stop, and staying secluded from friends and family is deteriorating their mental health. They are experiencing Outbursts, irritability, or frustration over small matters and aren’t able to enjoy life like they used to. 

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Conclusion

Looks like both sides are equally heavy in this debate. Yes, work from home has many positive impacts on a woman’s life but it has almost the exact number of equally impactful challenges. 

But if we women want to make it work, we can surely make some adjustments and give up some control for the sake of our wellbeing.

Like not fussing about housework and pretending to be in the office even without the comfy chairs. And most importantly, set boundaries when it comes to giving time to the family. After all, we can’t have it all, all the time. A little compromise can go a long way in achieving a wholesome work-life balance.

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