Ummm…. Hi!!!!! I’m so glad that you’re reading this. I know it’s a debatable topic and you may have an opinion that completely differs from mine but I’d appreciate it if you take your time and read this in its entirety.

It’s a well-known saying accepted by everyone that women are not equally earning on par with men. Even today, in this modernized world compared to what we had in previous decades, we aren’t able to see all women coming forward to be in a position that is equal to men. Forget male chauvinism, women themselves aren’t willing to put themselves forward in this competitive world and stand equal to men. The so-called societal pressure plays an important role in not enabling women to do, what they want to do; instead, they are, at times, forced to do what they don’t want to do. A woman will be told to adjust all the times when there’s a conflict. She always has to come down from her standpoint of view and accept the opponent's view. Somewhere on earth, still women cry to express themselves. A woman would be shedding tears starting from her eyes, rolling down through her cheeks and fading away by her neck with no hand to wipe them. She wouldn’t want her to be seen crying in public. She’ll express herself only before people to whom she feels to show her vulnerability or she’ll simply cry alone that only her pillows would know. There’s always a formatted pattern which a woman should follow which as you guessed is definitely rigid. Somewhere on earth still women cry to express themselves. A woman would be having tears starting from her eyes, rolling down through her cheeks, and fading away in her neck with no hand to wipe them. She wouldn’t want her to be seen crying in public. She’ll express herself only before people to whom she feels to show her vulnerability or she’ll simply cry alone that only her pillows would know. Exceptions are there as always. I’m not complaining but I’m just sharing my vision of this world as a fellow woman. Back to the topic, that format wasn’t made to make the life of a woman easy like how it works in excel but to make them to do things that they don’t want to do at times.

Now, let us come to the point…....

I mean, look at the women today. They aren’t sitting at their home like older days. Of course, even now some women are sitting at their home, among them, not all are technically sitting at home. Thanks to technology which made the dreams of many women, who were made not to come out either by themselves or through people around them or through the news stuff they hear, come true. Nowadays we can see a lot of women entrepreneurs, yes, that’s the word; sitting at their respective homes and are able to conquer the world; well, at least they have the determination to conquer the world one day. Unlike ancient times, where we can find about four to five or a few women in our textbooks for what they’ve achieved and we were made to believe that women can also do things that men are doing. But I guess it doesn’t work that way. There isn’t a thing that one particular gender only can do or ought to do. At least I feel there isn’t. The emerging trend of reselling business has sown the thought of financial independence in the heart of every woman who wanted to do something for herself. The reselling business has made a greater number of women stand for something and be woman entrepreneurs. The urge of our next generation to be familiar with more and more skills has generated the opportunity for many women to be able to pass on the skills that they know, to the next generation thereby making them financially independent. When I say financial independence, I don’t mean to take care of her own expenses or not to depend on anyone for anything. Of course, those are perks, but they’re not the main thing. It’s all about the amount of confidence they’ll have when they’re able to make money on their own; when they’re able to contribute something to their family whom they unconditionally love with their heart and soul every day. I personally know women who have decided to give up on taking up new steps to improve their careers for the sake of their families. They may have regrets, but they have never regretted it as it was for their own family. Now, technology has enabled such women with regrets not to have that feeling anymore by providing facilities for them to work at their convenient time and place, thereby they can have financial independence and also extend the care to their family that they desire to render.

So, we’ve conversed more about women being financially independent, how they are able to do it and materialize it. Now, apart from being financially independent, what more does a woman need? It actually goes hand in hand with financial independence. Maybe not in all households, but definitely in some of them. Women deserve respect for what they do. No matter whether she’s employed in a well-known, esteemed organisation or not employed, she merits respect, specifically from the family that she solely loves. Especially in our household, whether it’s ancient time or modern time, women aren’t allowed in proposing any opinions that particularly relates to prominent matters. Even if they put forward their opinion at times, mostly they’ll get a cold shoulder for doing so. All a woman want is to be listened to; not merely heard. A woman wants her opinions, and her ideas to be listened to in a discussion and she wants to feel included. Nowadays, we can see that this situation is progressing and many women are suggesting their best ideas which are also getting implemented and attaining success.

All these years, to establish themselves to this extent, women had to undergo lots and lots of suffering and the distress is still continuing in some places even now, in our claimed modern era. They say “Fire tests Gold and Suffering tests a Woman”. I guess women are created in such a way that they’ll be able to handle suffering. Also, not all women endure these kinds of suffering. As every rule has an exception, some of the women’s life has been a cakewalk. Well, it doesn’t mean that the life of a man is always a cakewalk. I’m just sticking with the title here. What about women who do the house chores? Yes, their life is also not easy. Doing house chores are not what they look like. They’re more difficult than what we think. The love and affection, a woman shows when she does any work is immense that makes the output good, viz. When she cooks, she’ll put in arduous effort to make the food delicious and this applies to every work she does. Women nowadays have to grab the opportunities that are accessible before them instead of waiting for opportunities. If no such opportunities are accessible, then they should create their own opportunities. Women should maintain their dignity throughout their lifecycles. They have to thrive hard to ensure that just and equitable grounds are present in the society. They have to get updated on matters across the globe on a consistent basis. If the majority of the women are of this mindset to become financially independent, it would prove to be an asset to the economic growth of the entire world. At this juncture, I would like to quote a saying by Sir Jawaharlal Nehru, “To awaken the people, it is the women who must be awakened. Once she is on the move, the family moves, the village moves and the Nation moves.”

A woman’s life after her marriage takes a turn and it creates some challenges in her career path. If a woman wants to go abroad to pursue her dream career after marriage, it also depends upon the settlement of her husband. It’s how it has to be. Still, they can put their efforts to achieve what they want. Nowadays we can see a few women who, while pursuing studies, change their life path due to wrong decisions, putting their entire financial careers at stake. Awareness should be created among girls of this age group, regarding this matter to avoid these situations to happen. Women have to be encouraged to stand on their own legs. That encouragement can be from her spouse, children, parents, relatives, friends, and even from third persons. It may create a huge impact on the life of a woman lacking such kind of encouragement. Women now, who haven’t endured proper education because of their family situation at their period of education, can also come forward and become financially independent, as in today’s world, studies alone don’t decide life. There are so many other skills which are being given importance by the people, for which they are putting enormous efforts to equip themselves with. Women should understand this.

A woman being financially independent also has other perks. If the husband wants to start a new business and has to leave his job, he need not worry and he can boldly take that step if he wants to, as the wife can support the family. Also, if the family is financially distressed, both the husband's and the wife’s earnings will come as a saviour. It’s a win-win situation for both. There are now so many central government aids for a woman to become an entrepreneur like Women’s Entrepreneurship Development Programme, and Women Works Programme etc., Obviously, there are some cons attached to working women. They have to manage their household, family, and also work. If the husband shares the household work with his wife, it would be a greater relief to her, and harmony in the family will also sustain. Parenting plays a major role in moulding the girl children, into what they want to become in the future. Unlike olden days, when there existed discrimination in raising a male and female child, parents nowadays are giving equal importance to both male and female children and society has understood the importance of a girl child getting an education and her voice for financial independence has sought many listeners.

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