Kalki on balancing motherhood, career: There's a lot of pressure to do it all

Mumbai, April 16 (IANS) Actress Kalki Koechlin has talked about the pressures working moms face to balance career and family, often managing both professional duties and household responsibilities. She also spoke about the need for shared parenting and greater awareness of gender roles at home.

Asked as a working mother, how does she balance the emotional needs of her child with the demands of her career, especially in a world that still puts pressure on women to do it all?

Kalki told IANS, “Yeah, there’s a lot of pressure to do it all. And the thing is, sometimes I can choose to be a supermom and do it all—there are days when I do just that.”

The actress said that she would wake up "at 6 A.M., take the dogs for a walk, prepare the oats and almond pancake her daughter loves for her school tiffin, send her off on the bus, get on a flight, and work all day."

“During my lunch break, I record a bedtime story so my husband can play it for her at night. Then I get back to work. In another short break—maybe 20 minutes—I squeeze in a yoga routine, then it’s back to work again. I wrap up around 8 P.M., get stuck in Bombay traffic, reach home at 10, wind down with a Netflix show, and finally go to bed around midnight.”

She asserted that “if you try to do that every single day without a break, you're going to burn out.”

“And the truth is, it shouldn’t be expected of us—but unfortunately, it is. A lot of women who choose to work and raise children are also expected to be the CEOs of their homes—deciding every meal, managing the household, and coordinating everything.”

Kalki added, “I’ve had moments where I’m in another city, and my husband is home, but I’m still the one calling the maid to tell her what to cook. I’m like, ‘You figure out what you want to eat!’ Even if you have help, you’re mentally managing everything—checking groceries, diapers, making sure the fridge is stocked—and working outside the home.”

The actress shared why the need for shared parenting is important.

“It’s just too much. That’s why concepts like sharing the load are so important. Both parents need to share these responsibilities, and we need more education around gender gaps at home.”

For the unversed, Kalki gave birth to a daughter named Sappho in February 2020.

Kalki has been a part of P&G Shiksha, which has marked 20 years. The actress said that she first started working with them in 2015, when they were focused on building schools across the country.

“We had gone to Delhi to support that effort, and I actually laid one of the first bricks for one of the schools. At the time, they were really focused on infrastructure—not just the classrooms, but also addressing issues like bathrooms, which were a big reason many girls dropped out of school.”

“They were impacting 4 lakh children then, and now in less than 10 years, they are impacting more than 50 lakh children.”

Kalki had also spotlighted the issue of the learning gap. She highlighted the importance of early intervention to help kids catch up and thrive.

--IANS

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