However, many challenges still remain: access to the highest professional positions, inequality in pay, and the need to work harder for recognition in professions that have historically been considered “male.”
When I was a student, one professor once told me:
“Why are you trying so hard and worrying so much about your exams? You’re a girl. You’ll get married and eventually give up your career anyway. Men need professional success; women should have children and stay at home.”
I have remembered these words for the rest of my life.
Yes, biologically, women are the ones who go through pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood. Children are often more emotionally attached to their mothers, and motherhood can temporarily slow down a career without support from family or society.
But I completely disagree with the idea that the possibility of future motherhood means a woman should not take her development seriously from the very beginning or should give up the work she truly loves.
The music profession is especially difficult to combine with family life. I have read many interviews with female musicians speaking about how hard it is to leave a small child with a nanny and go on tour; how evening rehearsals and concerts make it impossible to spend evenings at home; how hours of practice and preparation take time away from family.
Sometimes a child feels that their mother is physically present, yet mentally absent — fully immersed in her work.
On top of this come constant travel, instability, emotional pressure, and physical exhaustion. And at the same time, women are still most often expected to carry responsibility for the household, raising children, and maintaining the emotional balance within the family.
As a result, many women find themselves facing a painful choice: either dedicate themselves entirely to the stage and give up motherhood, or step away from their careers for the sake of family life.
I believe it is important to speak openly about the fact that talent, professional fulfillment, and motherhood should not be seen as mutually exclusive.
A woman has the right to be a mother. And she also has the right to take her calling seriously.