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She works hard at the office all day. So does he. But guess who does all the work once they get home? Women with jobs still do all the household chores. But, worse, most of us think that is the way it should be ([23] Goodchild, The Independent , 2005).
In India, post globalization, there are distinct changes in the attitudes of women and the society's outlook towards them. Over the past few decades there has been a gradual acceptance of women in work roles. Across the globe, women are stepping out of the security of their homes to face challenges of newer kinds. The Indian woman of today is present in all areas of work life - like technology, services, education, engineering, armed forces, police, and also politics - equally with men, and are increasingly exploring creative and challenging careers. India has the largest population of employed women ([63] Paul, 2006) and the largest number of certified women professionals in information technology, finance, and healthcare services just after the USA.
However, as she moves from being a "carer " to a "provider ", a woman, burdened with centuries of conditioning, still finds it difficult to attain the much desirable change in her self-perception. Women still are 40 percent more distressed than men under similar work pressure, when their family life is interrupted by office work ([54] McMillen, 2011). Working women the world over are grappling with the Herculean task of balancing their familial and organizational roles ([12] Bhushan and Karpe, 1996) - often hampering their productivity and wellbeing. Though equalitarian family-roles are gaining popularity worldwide, there are few changes in societal attitudes and expectations about male and female roles ([44] Livingston and Judge, 2008; [36] Kim and Ling, 2001). Work is still considered to the prime responsibility of the man, while the woman is expected to take up the vital responsibility of family and children ([72] Sahoo and Rath, 2003). Thus, the working woman has a stressful dual responsibility - that rarely comes with the desired spousal support in sharing domestic obligations and responsibilities ([26] Haas, 1982).
According to a study by [80] Sunderraj (2006), 17 percent of Indian women work, forming 31 percent of the Indian workforce and 37 percent of the Indian...