People> Breadwinners of the changing world

Images by: Tanya Munshi

Images: Op Demo, Navy Day at Visakhapatnam

Image copyright: Tanya Munshi

Text by: Tanya Munshi

Times are changing, the world is only getting more and more competitive each day. Commodities are getting dearer as the Rupee doesn’t stretch as much as it used to be. Eating out, recreation, clothes, essential items all seem to have adorned the garb of expensiveness.

Post liberalisation has thrown in a lot of opportunities in India. While the Indian man has definitely moved into greener pastures of MBAs and CAs, and moving abroad, the Indian woman has now adorned a few more roles apart from a wife and mother. Now, she too dreams of earning and contributing to her family.

How rising prices affect people
In the civil world, couples are moving to being DINKS – which is a ‘Double Income No Kids’ family, to be able to sustain themselves in an ever volatile and expensive world. Today, most wives feel the need to do something worthwhile and lucrative so that they too can be the breadwinners along side their husbands. But not all couples prefer being DINKS.

How is it different for the armed forces:
People in the armed forces are still well rooted and not wanting such sacrifices of not having a child. Defence wives realise that their husbands are working in harsher conditions, than an average software professional. So why shouldn’t they too be brought up to a pedestal? Why should an MBA or a software professional earn accolades and huge remuneration world wide? The work our service personnel do is way tougher, in harsher conditions which is not conducive to their health and personal life and away from their families. That’s too much of a sacrifice these men do.

A peek into a defence life
We all know, being a defence officers’ wife comes with a lot of responsibilities. Not only are they expected to run a household, but are supposed to handle a lot of other administrative tasks in the absence of their husbands. They need to drive a car, to be able to handle herself in any situation especially in a new town/ city where people may not speak the same language, bringing up children alone, dealing with pregnancy while her husband is away and a constant worry that the husband is at a risky job profile - are just some of the trials and tribulations she has to go through.

Challenges faced by defence officers’ wives

Jobs/ Careers
One of the main challenges that a defence wife has to go through is - trying to apply for a job in a town/ city, where she has to put up with a slammed door on her face. Why? Most corporates don’t entertain a defence officer’s wife for the simple reason of their nomadic lifestyle. This is unfair as no company has a right to turn away a prospective employee simply because of his/ her spouse is serving in the armed forces. This shows the apathy that the private sector has towards our armed forces, not realising that it is primarily because of the round the clock vigil by the armed forces that keeps them safe, so that they in turn can earn their profit. In turn, if their families are not entertained to be able to support themselves, what faith will the services personnel have in their country men?

Distance living
Today, there are many more career opportunities, but mostly concentrated in the metros. As a result, several wives are opting to either stay separated from their husbands just so that they together can attain a certain standard of living that is required.

Availability of more lucrative options
For some women, teaching as a career isn’t the answer to this competitive world. Not that teaching isn’t enjoyable anymore, this profession has its own perks such as - it gives you enough time to spend with your husband and children, pursue hobbies, meet friends and earn a decent salary. But this may not be enough to cope with the rising demands of growing children or if purchasing a house in the civil world.

Salary structure
As an example, let’s take a city or town in the country, where you plan on buying a flat. Today, in a B-class city, a basic two-bedroom hall kitchen starts from Rupees 20 lakhs (this may not include an extra lakh or two for parking space). Starting from the very disparity that we face of a salary structure, a young lieutenant’s dreams of a owning a house may get crushed at the nascent stage. Yes of course, unless he’s got enough financial backing from his family, then its not a problem. But not all come with similar backgrounds.

Measures
~ Salary increment of our defence personnel that match up to the standards of the civil world, so that our men too feel at par, if not superior or inferior to their peers in the civil society.

~ Tie-ups with reliable HR firms across the country, ensuring the wives who want to work can get a decent job in a new town or city on arrival.

Life shouldn’t be so tough at all times for only one section of people, especially for the armed forces personnel and their families. Right from the salary structure, to housing, employment opportunities for wives should be given due consideration and a positive action taking place for betterment of lives of service personnel. Lack of doing so will only result in the civil world mocking the armed forces at their archaic system of life and living.

The Work from Home Guide

Text by: Tanya Munshi

Image by: Kowitz

Image: Work from Home

A lot of people I know have always raised an eyebrow when ever I told them that I work ‘remotely’, in simpler terms, ‘work from home’. Usually I get the feedback that as a home maker, I maybe doing some data entry job to earn pocket money. In fact, from certain clients too, I have got this feeling that even though I am a thorough professional; I was never taken to very seriously. Some clients thought, I had all the time in the world to work and so they kept tossing work at me. Finally, at the end of two years, I could pick and choose with whom to work with and for how long. That's what I tell you, break the mindset and get cracking with your work from home.

How and where to begin?
Several friends approached me to offer tips or references on how to go about working online. I started it out through contacts from my older companies and colleagues whom I have worked with. Apart from building contacts and references through friends and colleagues; do your own research by looking up Google and of course, post your updated resume in job portals. This is where, networking helps a lot. You have got to hone your people skills and network well, otherwise why should anyone even remember you? Also, the most important part of your work from home profile – is the follow up, you have to let your potential client know that you are keen to work, but not desperate enough to work at an underpaid job.

Do they pay?
Initial starting pay may not be according to your expectations, but it’s always good to start somewhere. Gradually, as you work and your clients get a hang of your style, you can ask for a raise. If you plan on freelancing, you can also charge in terms of hours, however, you have to cross check with fellow work from home people or freelancers as to what the current rate is. But of course, if you’ve had years of work experience backing you, then it should not be a problem getting a decent pay package.

The points above are all about what you can handle externally, here are some tips to make life simpler to work while being at home.

Schedule your day – always ensure that you are able to put in your fixed number of hours at work every day. You have got to be serious about your work. If you miss a weekday due to any reason, make it a point to keep your client informed and cover it up by working on it over a weekend.

Household chores – as women, we're always expected to handle home and work with ease. We know how tough it can get sometimes, especially when the house helper doesn’t turn up or sudden arrival of guests. See if you can cook all your meals in the morning, before the maid arrives (according to the Indian context). Or, you can even choose to cook during the lunch time and take a break.

Be mentally prepared – always be mentally prepared that things can go wrong, like power failure, sudden arrival of guests. Remember, that exigencies at home will be higher. This will help you stay calm.

Utilize your time – During power failures, or no internet connection, I make it a point to finish the cooking, so that by the time the power returns, I can resume my work. So utilitize your time the best way possible.

Invest if required – Since I lived in a small town for a couple of years, I had to suffer six hours of power cuts almost every other day. I then invested in an inverter that helped me to work on my computer while there were power cuts. I also got myself a laptop that if and when I travelled with my husband, I was able to keep a check on my work and attend to something in case it was required.

Keep contacts handy – keep the numbers of your internet service provider, the electrical board, etc handy. At times of power failure or no connectivity you have to inform them urgently. Remember, the sooner you call, the quicker your problems will be solved.

Dress to work – before you sit down to work, finish your bath, have your breakfast and dress up well (makeup optional), so that you ready yourself mentally and physically for office work.

Check your health – I always make it a point to practice yoga every morning. A dash of lime and warm water does the trick along with 4 almonds and a garlic flake soaked overnight. Garlic will keep acidity at bay, almonds act as a health tonic while warm lime water will flush your body of toxins. Since I tend to work for several hours on my computer, I ensure that I practice yoga daily. When ever I get the chance, I go out for long walks in the evening. Last but not the least, sit with a bottle of water where you work. Keep drinking water as often as you can. Remember, working from home has its own perks – like you have an access to a microwave or a refrigerator. You can keep fresh fruits in the refrigerator and have them as in between snacks.

Baby care – one of the primary reasons for to work remotely from home is that whether you have kids or plan to have kids in the near future, you can adjust the time and be there for your little one. If you keep a nanny, you will be around to keep an eye on her as well.

Be honest – honesty is the best policy, when you work remotely. Remember, your client is entrusting valuable data, time and money into you. So don’t play around with it. Be serious with the work and you will be happily rewarded.

Equip yourself – get Yahoo, MSN, Google Talk or Skype installed. See what is convenient for you and your client. Register yourself with a PayPal account, in case of foreign clients.