CHALLENGES OF WORKING WOMEN

 

 Ever since I was a little girl I knew I wanted to be a working woman. My mother was a housewife and would occasionally teach music at home. As a little girl could sense, she felt bored and frustrated looking after me and my brother 24/7. With my dad working out of town most of the time she felt very lonely, and her lack of financial independence made her life more challenging.

I made it to medical school in my Middle Eastern hometown, immigrated to South Africa, and now I am a qualified Gynaecologist. It has been an amazing Journey. Now I am a mother to a 15-month toddler. I would not have survived with my full-time job without the help of my mother looking after the baby.  With my dad always being away from home, only now he can understand the challenges of motherhood and raising babies.

Recently FIGO ( International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics) had a talk with women in the healthcare sector of various low and middle-income countries. One of the biggest challenges voiced by women working in healthcare is how difficult it is for them to balance professional and personal commitments such as childcare and family care. Half of the women interviewed mentioned the need to take career breaks or slow down their professional progress to meet their family responsibilities. 

They also mentioned the higher expectations placed on women to participate in social and communal life, and feelings of guilt linked to the way they divided their time between their careers and their families. For some, taking on additional leadership responsibilities did not feel realistic considering what they were already juggling.  


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That is me and 3 months Aryana, going back to work in March 2023 from maternity leave. she was on formula, and was already used to my mother who lived in our complex which made the transition easier. 
 


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