ABSTRACT
As a mentor and coach in a non-profi t organisation that spans eight countries in Asia, I’ve worked with many women who are constantly plagued with stressful and overworked lifestyles. The typical Asian woman dons a ‘hard work is success’ mind-set, centred on the constant act of ‘doing’ in order to feel accomplished, whether in the area of household matters, children’s needs or marriage. The women leaders I work with have daily mental ‘checklists’ to complete to help them feel like a good mother, wife, employee and friend. A working mother today has to hone her balancing act of being a stellar employee at work, and a diligent mother and wife at home. The never-ending demands in both areas – work and home – are usually self-infl icted or imposed by the family or workplace, and are infl uenced by, and sometimes overwhelm, a woman’s belief system. The Asian woman is expected fi rst to be submissive to her husband, taking care of his every need; then a competent, nurturing mother raising up obedient children; while being an excellent homemaker, keeping the home a safe and clean haven for the whole family. In today’s affl uent society, she has to balance this noble task with the increasing need to also supplement the family income through a full-time job. Consequently, women are bogged down by thoughts of ‘never being good enough’, leaving them feeling either angry or powerless.
