I am a married (mid-30s) guy currently working in a Tier I firm in Mumbai. The workload is beyond control. My wife is a non-lawyer, working with a retail company. She is able to manage work-life balance pretty much easily. However, I am most of the times constantly stressed or in a burnout mode. Looking at the never ending work life, I have given up on my personal life and decided not to have kids. Given the current situation, I am pretty sure of the outcome (a stroke in the midnight and I will be spared forever!). I am afraid of attaching further strings to my personal life and have taken this decision. While my wife is very keen on having kids, she is aware of my challenging and highly demanding work life. I know my decision seems insane, but the stress levels do not let you think otherwise/anything good happening in life. I have had a huge financial crisis in my family during my childhood and therefore, not willing to change the firm. Also, since the job market is pretty unclear at the moment, just not willing to take the risk at this point in time. Anyone who has been through this and survived, would appreciate your honest advice. Thanks a lot!

So I'm on the other side of this situation, a lawyer but with a work life balance. Married, so in love and everything was perfect but my husband is working with a law firm and we are relationship is suffering because of the law firm life (including the luxuries, the crazy-ass parties, alnighters, surrounded by ladies giving you more than required attention and other things etc.)..everything in the relationship seems less important to him now than his law firm life, so much so that he is ready to give up on his family for the law firm life. I know where he comes from and what his aim is in life in terms of the luxuries...but am I supposed to pay the price for what he suddenly thought was more important to him than his family? Take your call, you cannot get everything in life...if you refrain your wife from starting a family because of your over ambitious self...you're being really unfair to her! Nobody, but you need to set the balance if you want things to work out for you...! She does not deserve this.