Work-life balance: what rubbish!

Have you ever heard of the term 'work-life balance'. It is an idea being sold to women all over the world especially in the West. It has become an aspiration of many women to achieve this state of balance between their working life and family life.

For a long time, I too was enchanted by this notion. Sometimes, I even believed that I have somehow achieved this work-life balance until something happens out of the blue as life always does, that tips this balance to one end of the scale or the other and I found that I was back to square one. The state of constant struggle to achieve a state of perfection.

Today, it suddenly struck me that there is no such thing as work-life balance. this whole idea was a scam, a bull**** to make women feel even more inadequate, encouraging women to chase after a rainbow. I realised this when I was told that I might have to attend another function this weekend and I'm doing a voluntary session the Sunday afterwards. In my mind...this question of 'am I achieving work-life balance' arise...but then it struck me, there is no such thing.

Today I realised that there is just life...and life is about work, about family, about friends, about grocery shopping, about going on holiday, about missing datelines, about rushing off from work to pick up your child's report card from school, about ringing home every hour to make sure that your child's fever is still under control. Life is about everything that a person has to do, has to fulfil their responsibility in whatever position they are in, in whatever circumstances that Allah has put them in.

I get totally fed-up when I come across people or articles talking about how Islam does not oblige women to work. Of course I know that but sometimes, the idea is sold as though under the Islamic state, all women stay at home and become 'ladies of leisure'. If that was the case then, why did Fatima r.a. daughter of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) had to work grinding flour until her hands were sore. Didn't she complained to her husband about it and he too complained that he had to work carrying water until his back hurts. Didn't they go to the Prophet (saw) asking him for a servant to help them and he refused them? Did he say to his beloved daughter "Oh my daughter, women do not have to work. That is the man's responsibility?" No! he never said that.

So, get over it. Khilafah or not, some women have to work.

The problem is not working women but the Capitalist secular system that puts unnecessary expectations on women to be super moms! Has anyone even define what this super mom is supposed to be or what she is supposed to achieve within her short life?

With the correct system, women who wants to work can work and women who have to work are left alone to get on with what they have to do. Believe me, they will do it well. They will be great mothers, great workers, great contributors to society. Just let them do what they have to do and don't put silly unattainable expectations on them.