Behind Closed Doors
Unmasking Fears That Hold Us Back
This week, I signed up as a volunteer for Action for Happiness.
It’s something I previously applied for and was accepted for in the first year of my MSc Applied Positive Psychology degree.
Still, I didn’t go ahead with it back then.
I didn’t believe I had the skills to do it — even though, along with my work experience, I had previously been a Listening Volunteer for the Samaritans whilst doing my psychology undergraduate degree.
I definitely had all the required skills to join Action for Happiness.
The fact that I’m now ready to go ahead with Action for Happiness volunteering has got me thinking about why women often hold themselves back in their lives and careers.
Of course, there’s the big answer that women are socialised to keep themselves small in a patriarchal world, and indeed, my generation was brought up to want nothing else than being a housewife.
In my parent’s generation, careers were seen solely for men, and women were ready and waiting at the door to be of service when men got home from work.
If a woman worked, it was in a low-paid part-time job that took no time away from being available for her husband.
