World Mental Health Day 2022:world mental health day (October 10) It’s almost here and it’s the perfect time to talk about the mental health of women who are often juggling multiple responsibilities. Whether you are a working woman or a housewife, the daily duties seem endless for women, from taking care of the kitchen, children, the elderly to their individual goals. This puts them at higher risk for depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. (Also read: From Diabetes to Arthritis: 5 Chronic Illnesses That Can Lead to Depression)
A survey by Researchgate that saw the participation of 80 married women in the 25-40 age range, including 40 married working women and 40 homemakers, noted that while working women experience financial independence, high self-esteem, love from home may experience insecurity. and poor social life, etc. The survey concluded that married working women and homemakers have their own set of issues that can cause differences in their quality of life. On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, we asked mental health experts about the unique challenges of the working woman and the housewife and also if one is more stressed than the other.
“There are various reasons why women’s mental health is affected. There are biological, social and cultural reasons with an undeniable gender difference in the incidence and prevalence of mental health disorders,” says Dr. RC Jiloha , Senior Consultant – Psychiatry, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram.
What ails the mental health of a housewife
“Housewives spend all their time on routine tasks, but that’s not the case with working women, and therefore they’re good at grooming and taking care of themselves,” says Dr. Jiloha.
The psychiatrist says that staying at home allows a lot of free time but mentally affects the person. He adds that working allows women to be independent, which can help prevent negative thoughts.
“India, over the years, has witnessed many cases of domestic violence and the backwardness of society has its own shortcomings. Working allows women to make decisions, be independent and wake up with confidence every day. None of one of these scenarios is you met with a housewife and that somehow gives them time and space to take in a plethora of negative thoughts. At work, you tend to be practical and take opinions on how to solve problems. But it’s a backwards episode when you stay at home. Society sees a housewife’s chores as her duty and why should there be rewards? No one appreciates it. Therefore, there is a lot of dissatisfaction and anxiety. A working woman has no time to think about disappointments,” says Dr. Jiloha.
“In several homes, housewives fell prey to the frustrations and aggression of their male counterparts. There is a perpetual burden of keeping the family together alongside financial problems and keeping the family happy together by taking care of all members of the family. family both husbands and in-laws was a very challenging task for housewives.There is also a growing tension of sexual dissatisfaction between husband and wife.According to research in this area, 70% of Indian women do not have orgasm during sexual intercourse. Sexual dissatisfaction leads to many mental disorders such as neurosis and even Oedipus complex, sometimes in the worst cases,” says Dr. Jyoti Kapoor, founder and chief psychiatrist of Manasthali.
Dr. Kapoor says that some of the common triggers for mental health problems in homemakers are bouts of depression and anxiety, marital dissatisfaction, domestic violence, and patriarchal ideologies.
Mental health challenges of working women
Thinking about free time is a dream for working women since even the days off are dedicated to finishing pending tasks while worrying about the performance of their children in school. All free time from office work is spent on housework, leaving little free time for working women. Burnout can be visible in the form of decreased work productivity and loss of interest in housework.
“A 9-hour shift in itself is challenging and the moonlighting trend has somehow made work routines worse. Also, if one person is layered with another set of responsibilities, it becomes detrimental to physical and mental health.” Working women need To be an expert in multitasking She has to remember everything in advance without making many mistakes Children are a big responsibility and that is why she is eager to prepare meals every day A working woman manages her finances and the mood of each member of the family under normal circumstances is still manageable but when she is sick how can the doer expect anything to be done for her all these roles and responsibilities wear her down and exhaustion is too much to wear her out mentally,” says Dr. Jiloha.
Working women vs housewives: who is more stressed?
“Both have their own set of pros and cons, but a working woman is more productive at the end of the day. Working can also include paying tuition or running a small business, like selling pickles, etc. This can make them financially independent and build her knowledge of many things. She can be confident and polish her communication skills while dealing with various clients and colleagues. Although they both have the same level of anxiety and stress, a working woman is much happier in what she does and has no space for the negativity in her mind. She makes friends at work who are ambitious like her and help her deal with life’s problems. That behavior helps maintain mental health,” says Dr. Jiloha.
Dr. Kapoor says that anyone can be stressed or depressed and it is not necessary to have a certain profession.
“We can’t say that only working women or housewives are stressed. Stress can come from anything or anyone around you,” she says.
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