Every other day, I get messages glorifying the notion of womanhood, as well as stories and one-liners that revolve around their great sacrifices. This morning also I got several such messages, peppered with special wishes in connection with International Women’s Day.

One such image that I received had an unusual message; it was something like this: ‘International Women’s Day is NOT about Archies Card, Spa Discounts, Beauty Products, Motherhood or Femininity… It’s about a history of struggles against all these.’

Yes, there it is!

Being a corporate professional who travels a lot, it is with great struggle that I balance my life as a mother, daughter and sister, finding time to keep my social life alive. I am able to do this because I am a woman who enjoys enough freedom, and my family understands how I bring about a work-life balance.

But I would not say I am a ‘liberated woman’, because the so-called liberation would never bring about any equilibrium in my life; neither am I a subjugated woman. I am an independent professional who believes in the power of womanhood, which strengthens me as a human being with professional skills and empathy. I never let any barrier prevent me from my career growth; but I make sure career requirements never come in the way of my life as a home-maker either.

I do not think cooking and taking care of your family would, in any way, make you inferior in life. Hey, doing such work would not make men inferior either! I was excited to see Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern bringing her newborn baby to parliament when she was the prime minister of New Zealand. That was a gesture which threw to wind our notion about conventional womanhood, which we pretend to glorify, with the hidden intention of limiting and restricting her personality.

This morning, I was happy to read a tweet by US Ambassador in UK, Jane Hartley, which said, “Keep speaking up and breaking down barriers so that every year, International Women’s Day is less about all the work we still need to do, and more about celebrating all the ways that women have moved the world forward. #EmbraceEquity”

What she said is absolutely true. Equity is more valuable than what we call equality, and you should enjoy what you do, at the same time ensuring the warmth of family life. There is no reason to sacrifice one for the sake of the other.

Luckily, my career growth as an airline and travel industry professional was quite organic, and I never had to break the glass ceiling. But I know the story is not the same with every other woman, and gender bias is a truth everywhere.

Also, there are educationally qualified women – women with great potential – who are literally sacrificing their lives to rear children and manage their family. Many also become financially dependent, which, in turn, becomes a traumatic experience for many.

This scenario should change.

There are examples aplenty in history where women proved their mettle in employment and entrepreneurship, right from Khadijah, the wife of Holy Prophet (PBUH), to CEOs who call the shots in the global corporate world.

It is a fact, of course, that there are obstacles and forces that pull us behind. But once we realize our strengths and incorporate a strategy in life, we will definitely be in a position to write our success stories. It is not a story against the male bastion; it is not a story against the attributes of womanhood either. Every gender has its own role, socially and organically, which no one can swap. But those roles can never deter our surge, if we realize our inner fire.

Once again, I would say, never let anyone to unduly glorify womanhood to exploit our personality and restrict our growth. If we realize our strengths, celebration of true life will be ours. However, men should also realize this and stop seeing kitchens as an alien world!

Just as I was concluding this piece, I happened to see the image of a huge graffiti titled ‘Pakalinte vilakkin toonukal’ (Lamp posts in daylight), done as part of the Kochi Muziris Biennale, a gala art event in Kerala, on the occasion of International Women’s day – it paid tribute to the untiring women workers across the world.