Feb 16, 2021
Our “Humans of Lazada” series takes a look at the professional and personal lives of the more than 8,000 people who work at Lazada. Click here for more stories from this series.
“After years of flying around the world as an air stewardess, I met my husband, got married and left my job to become a mother of two young boys. I eventually rejoined the workforce, taking on a role as a people care analyst at Lazada. Last year, my husband lost his job as a sales manager due to the pandemic, and I became the sole breadwinner in our family. Having grown up in a family with strong patriarchal values, my husband had a tough time staying at home. He believed it was his duty to provide for the family. The role reversal in our household and him not being able to financially provide presented a new set of challenges for both of us. I tried to encourage him to change his perspective on what it meant to “contribute to the family,” which included managing the house and being there for our children.
Afraid that I would also lose my job, I took on more responsibilities at work at the expense of spending time with my family. I wanted to keep my job by proving my value in the company. Initially, my husband and I fought over my lack of time and emotional availability at home. We finally had a conversation to share our fears and frustrations, and my husband and I grew to understand each other better and managed our expectations. Our situation has since improved. Time at home has strengthened my husband’s relationship with our boys. He recently found a new job and is back at work. My supervisor has also been very encouraging and constantly reassures me of my work performance, which brings me immense relief. Looking back, the past year has been extremely difficult. But as a mother and wife who is also pursuing her career goals, I found the strength to persevere and a sense of pride to be able to provide for my family during one of our most trying times.”
This profile was compiled by Catherine Yang from the Lazada PR team in Singapore.