Get a life Get a career be financially independent I have heard it all Tell me please all you sitagita readers what options are there for a women who is forty plus? I would love to hear about career options which can be taken up without investing a bomb (turn hobby into business) open beauty parlours/start aromatherapy/reiki/yoga class/sell tupperware/ etc etc. Anyone in the corporate world or private sector willing to employ women over forty who are adept at inventory control/man management /party organization/housekeeping/fire fighting or crisis management? We all belittle the housewife and wave her aside with a disdainful look, but if you think carefully the above mentioned list of jobs is what she does with aplomb when managing a house and looking after kids and husband. She is on call 24 hours of the day/ minus pay/bonus or even casual leave. She takes it all in her stride. Have you ever seen a housewife turn away her children saying "Sorry no food today. No Gas" She would rather be dead than miss out on a deadline of putting food on the table for her family Best crisis manager in the world is our mere housewife. All this and more she learns in the school of life on the job while coping with in-laws, pregnancies, maids or no maids etc Need I say more. After the family chores are taken care of and all obligations and duty fulfilled the humble housewife turns to look at herself and try and get a life of her own Tell me who is out there ready to employ her flexi time or otherwise now that her formal education is outdated and housewifely skills are looked down upon. Life they say begins at forty Tell me dear readers how many of you have been able to get yourself jobs after the empty nest syndrome has set in I would love to know I have good communication skills, am a committed worker, am organised and disciplined in my work, possess excellent time management skills. I have also tried to keep pace with the times by teaching myself the use of the computer. Any employers out there listening?

Rita Mukherjee