Working Women to Working Mother: A Transition in the Indian Society

Abstract

One of the significant changes witnessed by the Indian societies is the status of working women and their excellent management skills. Gone are the days when the women were only a homemaker at the end of the day. The transition of women to successful working women took ages but finally, they have come out with flying colors. With the advances in the norms of society, adaptability of the male members of the family, better education system, flexible work environment and the willingness of women to succeed has finally paved way for a better and secure career for the women of today's era. A woman has to play multiple roles. The present paper attempts to understand the management of roles between an expecting mother and an employee going on a maternity leave. The present paper is based on an exploratory qualitative study of 12 women from academic institutions in Mumbai, India. The outcome of the research reveals four themes: Clear communications; support from the family and coworkers; organizational policies and practices; balancing the role conflict.