Q. Should women really go out to the workplace to work for a living before or after marriage? Is there any scriptural injunction on this? Many people in India believe that utilising the money earned by a daughter or a wife is sinful and puts one in hell after death. Also, it is usually seen that if the wife also works after marriage then the children are not properly cared for and sometimes even develop psychological problems. If the grandparents are alive, then the working parents usually delegate the responsibility of child-rearing to them using them as servants in their old age when they need to be left free for relaxation and spiritual inquiry. Is this justified? Or if the wife goes out to work, should the husband stay at home to take care of the children? But, sometimes the income of one member may not be sufficient for running the household. This is all so confusing. Please advise.

​

A: The Vedic scriptures always recommend activities for each individual on the basis of one's natural inclination, physical capability for execution, intellectual capacity and the scope for spiritual advancement as well.

​

As such in ancient India, men were required to go out and work whereas women, married or unmarried, were advised to perform duties within the confines of their homes.

​

Even as recent as five decades ago, our contemporary society conceded to the fact that men are breadwinners (go out to work and earn money) and women are homemakers (look after all the domestic chores and the upbringing of children).

​

The dangerous consequences of industrialization have resulted in people's moving away from God, neglecting scriptural advocacy, ignoring traditional practices and engage in reckless activities with the sole aim of making money at any cost. The titans of technology have been encouraging the scientists to come up with more and more modern amenities. In their so-called path-breaking scientific leaps in the avaricious attempts to challenge God, instead of improving the quality of life, their research has only ominously aided in our becoming slaves of technology.

​

Emboldened by the lucrative yields of such malignant materialism, people are now brazenly embracing material activities oblivious of the fact that such hysterical involvement hampers their natural function of spiritual pursuit. Thus, modern life has become so complicated that both husband and wife are required to earn money to eke out a decent existence.

Therefore, the members of each family have to take a call on how to run the family affairs depending upon their current financial situation and their future requirements. My advice is, come what may, all family members should never lose focus on the very mission of human birth which is spiritual emancipation and not sense gratification.