Why Women Need Jobs and Coworkers

Paid work can mean the difference between life and death

The places that work takes you.

“Back in Nepal, my husband was my everything,” began the petite woman lounging in her car seat, “He fulfilled my needs, and I was grateful to him.”

“But then I came here,” the woman continued. “I learnt to drive, and I went to work. The first paycheck was deposited into my bank account. I had enough money to spend on myself. And these days, I wonder — what do I actually need my husband for?”

The woman was on TikTok, narrating her experience of having migrated from Nepal to the United States. I laughed, happy that she had managed to discover the confidence only lent by paid work.

Her post overflowed with comments from women. Naughty ones chided her that “husbands were still needed for some things”, while others shared their own euphoria created by economic independence.

The conversation reminded me of my mother’s indulgent smile from over two decades ago.

It was the Nepali new year, that heralds spring and celebrates the cuckoo’s call. Ama walked into the living room, both arms laden with packages. I forget what else she got, but I vividly recall a doll with golden curls clad in a green-white onesie.