Women across the world have been taking over important positions and leading countries like a boss. However, that doesn’t keep them from fulfilling their responsibilities of being a mom.
Earlier, Twitter was divided when a female police officer in Madhya Pradesh took her daughter along for duty.
Yet again, people online shared their diverse opinions when a female IAS officer from Kerala was seen bringing her child to a public function.
ആറാമത് അടൂർ അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര ചലച്ചിത്രമേളയുടെ സമാപന സമ്മേളനത്തിൽ ഇന്നലെ അഭിമാനപുരസ്സരം പങ്കെടുത്തു. ആദരണീയനായ ഡെപ്യൂട്ടി…
Posted by District Collector Pathanamthitta on Monday, October 31, 2022
In the clip that’s being circulated extensively online, the District Collector Of Pathanamthitta, Divya S Iyer, was seen sitting on the stage along with her three-and-a-half-year-old child in her arms.
When it was her time to take over the podium and address the gathering at the closing ceremony of the Adoor International Film Festival, her little son Malhar accompanied her. He insisted she takes him in her arms. The mother obliged his request and held him in her arms while giving a speech.
Times Now quoted Iyer saying, “I don’t know what got the better of him as he came running to me at the dais.” She added that her son waited patiently until she was called to deliver her speech.
“I’m a 24×7 mum and a 24×7 District Collector. We, women, take on 24×7 roles in life, where we cannot afford to do shifts,” the IAS officer said adding that it was a sociocultural event that was purely non-official in nature.
Watch:
Kerala IAS Officer Carries Her Child In Arms During Speech, Sparks Debate https://t.co/BvHkiIgf9t pic.twitter.com/EG35Rcjq7C
— NDTV (@ndtv) November 4, 2022
Talking about maintaining work-life balance, the officer said, “One way in which I try to maintain that balance is by trying to spend quality time with my son and try and give him varied experiences.”
After the video went viral, people were divided online. While some criticized her for bringing the baby to work, others thought this should be normalized.
She couldn’t find anyone to watch her baby for a couple of hours, anyone in the family???
One needs to learn how to balance family and professional life.
As an IAS officer, she is expected to master that skill.
Let’s see the real story behind this stunt.
— Ninj~C@t (@KittyKatInd) November 4, 2022
Stop this nonsense of mixing of work with kids.
— Ichbinkk (@konork) November 5, 2022
Stop using kids for PR stunts
— Arnaz Hathiram (@ArnazHathiram) November 4, 2022
Care a dam attitude. Nothing to do with parenting.
People should learn to respect their wworplace and not make mockery of it. Shameful.— Lateral Inversion 🍻 (@TPMGIND) November 4, 2022
Imagine a doctor carrying his/ her child in OT.
The feeling of entitlement in #IAS these days is baffling.
Nation needs to put check and balance to their powers / privileges.#UPSCReforms #RedTape @swarup58 @DrJitendraSingh @NITIAayog @pinarayivijayan @AmitShah @PMOIndia
— UrbanMeerut (@UrbanMeerut) November 4, 2022
Indecent but some times it happens even if you don’t want it or avoid it. Of course a child knows nothing except his mother!
— Bikram (@bikrammihir267) November 4, 2022
Debate about what?
Whether IAS officers should have children? Whether children are allowed to walk onto a stage? Whether she should hire a babysitter?
What’s the debate?
— meghnad 🔗 (@Memeghnad) November 5, 2022
What’s there to be debatable? One should be proud of her how she is taking care of her family and her professional life.
Or IAS association or state govt guarantee the safety and security of child care during mother’s working hours, isn’t that debatable?— Priyaanka Gandhi 💙(Fan) (@_Priyankaprdy) November 4, 2022
It’s just a beginning, instead of discouraging her appreciate her, like the mothers here, out of jealousy making hate tweets. No working mothers should be forced to compromise their love and time towards kids. When others do we all appreciate but if one of us did it’s PR, Shame
— ⚕️✴️🔱DeviantBohemian🩺🔱◽◾▪️ (@DeviantBohemian) November 4, 2022
She has clearly mentioned that it wasn’t an official function, and rather a cultural event on a Sunday Evening. They are also human beings with maternal instincts let them also live and love life. #ias #workingmoms
— Alex Joseph 🇮🇳 (@dralexjoseph) November 5, 2022
What’s there to debate here ?
If it was father carrying his child then people would have lauded him as doting father. But the moment it’s mother see the change🙂🙂🙂— Chandana 💫 (@DrChandana_) November 5, 2022
Juggling between work and motherhood is the most difficult task. But kudos to women like Divya S Iyer who have been doing it right and encouraging women to pursue their passion without having to give up on anything. You don’t have to choose one when you can excel at both.