: After a hectic day at work, Nandini (name changed) has to muster enough courage to deal with her husband’s erratic behaviour at home. Though the couple initially embraced the role reversal concept, things have started taking an ugly turn over a period of time.
Fifteen years ago, it was a different scene altogether when Nandini met her uneducated husband, and fell in love with him. When they decided to settle down tying a nuptial knot, the couple knew too well that the lady will continue to work and the man will be home-bound. While the initial years of marriage went on smooth, the condition began to worsen when her husband started consuming alcohol and later became addicted to it.
Unlike the recent R. Balki’s ‘Ki & Ka’ movie, that has brought the stay-at-home husbands to limelight, women who have been the breadwinner say the other side of the story reveals something else. “When I look back, I feel I should not have compromised much. Now, things often go beyond my control as my husband has become insensitive towards my feelings,” says Nandini.
Negative traits
Experts say that men who prefer to stay at home and run household errands have a greater possibility of slipping into depression. “This is because when men are completely cut off from the social life, they get into a cocoon and find it hard to come out of it. Further, ego hassles and low self-esteem are the other negative traits that disrupt one’s family life. For women who believe in plunging into the male-dominated world, the path is not quite rosy as they have to face challenges both at personal and professional fronts,” says S. Radha Rani, Superintendent of Government Hospital for Mental Care.
Sharing similar views, consultant psychiatrist N.N. Raju says, “It is difficult to set a new biological clock for any man no matter however the situation demands. When men lose their identity as a breadwinner, they resort to blame game to cover their guilt pangs. To overcome their insecurities, some of them either find solace in drinking or having an extramarital affair or both.”
