No, we are not wonder women, power women or supermoms. We are just ourselves

A gazillion articles will be published today eulogising women for their “do-it-all” capabilities, ads will sing paeans to how women play multiple roles with aplomb. For this one day every year, women are Durga, Lakshmi (Indian goddesses), superwomen and every possible encomium you can think of. For women, it’s heartening to be showered with so much adulation, but there’s an embedded truth herein. That we as a society celebrate women carrying a disproportionate burden of responsibilities.

What this leads to, is an impractical set of expectations from women- to be the perfect homemaker, the multi-tasker who should juggle between home, work and kids, perfect daughter, life-partner and so on. Most women end up having a miserable personal life, fraught with stress in a bid to meet these expectations. “Wonder Woman”, “Supermom” — these monikers don’t help except for a momentary boost of energy. For the most part, women struggle and get hurt in the process to become this superhuman which exists only in fantasies.

Among several images last year, that spoke of the tragedy unleashed by Covid second wave and human resilience, a picture that stood out was that of an Asha worker, braving kneep deep water, carrying infant on her back to execute Covid vaccinations. Was she trying to be a super mom or a star employee who performed both her roles spiritedly? No, She was just doing her job with 100% commitment. The child on her back is not a sign of her being the “super mother”, rather a reflection on us as a society which expects women to unequally shoulder child rearing responsibilities.

So, world, leave women as they are. Don’t crown and garland them, only to weigh them down with things they don’t deserve to carry alone. Let them be perfectly imperfect. They will grapple with motherhood, suck at the job, may not keep the home in best of shape, but it’s fine. It’s fine to not be constantly pushing boundaries and proving oneself to standards that are not meant to be. Rather, what needs to be encouraged is for women to look after themselves. And for men to lend a helping hand, so that they don’t need to be the “wonder woman”.

On this note, it’s pertinent to talk about the “women of OKC”. None of these are powerpuff girls, supermoms or other such things, but they are brilliant in their own way. Many of them come from societies where women are not encouraged to study or work. These women are therefore not just shattering established norms but are also an inspiration at the workplace.

The great thing about these women is- they are not just the job they do, they are multiple things- mentor, friend, agony aunt, secret keeper, joke cracker, lunch buddy and above all team player.

Thanks Radhika, Sarika, Priyanka, Yamini, Apoorva, Shabina, Mahalakshmi, Bhoomika, Aishwarya, Sanjana, Divya, Lakshmi, Supriya, Aleena, Chaitra, Shivani, Meetasha and Vandana for making OkCredit an awesome place to work. You guys are seizing the day everyday.