Leading companies, completing projects and beginning nonprofits, female employees are developing their professional careers now more than ever. However, some women still feel torn between their jobs and the demands of family life.
Image credit: franky242 | FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Here are some ways women are making peace with the conflict between work and family:
Getting a job you love before you have children
In Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, author Sheryl Sandberg explains the way young women make decisions before they have a family. Some of these young professionals hold back on taking risks in their career, worried that their leadership could have a negative effect on their future partner and children.
She advises young women to take risks and get into a career they love before they have children explaining that it’s easier to leave the workforce after having children when you aren’t passionate about your work.
Having a mentor to advise you
There’s plenty to discuss when it comes to family and career choices. When mothers have a mentor they can speak with, it’s easier to make the decisions that come along with being a working mom. Parents who are further into their career can guide those who are in the beginning of their own.
It doesn’t take hours to discuss your problems with someone you respect, and Sandberg explains that you might not have a lot of time with your mentor. Ask direct questions from your mentor that won’t take too much time.
Dispelling the myth that you can do it all
If there’s anything women try more than their male counterparts, it’s doing it all. Plenty of mothers want to be wonderful cooks, great cleaners, fantastic employees, amazing daughters, thoughtful wives and considerate friends. It’s tough to play all of these roles and be happy at the end of the day. Every woman needs time to relax so she doesn’t feel pulled in every direction at every moment.
Exploring the option of day care for your children might be hard to consider, but it is an option. If you’re looking to put your child in a day care center, take into account the caretakers and facilities they will be exposed to. If possible, look for a daycare facility near where you plan to work.
If you were to take a job at CoreLogic headquarters, for example, you might want to find a toddler school in Irvine, so you can get lunch with your child. Some mothers choose this option while others choose to stay home with their children until they’re ready to go to school full-time.
Women have more educational and career opportunities than they ever have before. However, it’s still difficult for women to decide how to structure their time, and divide their attention between work and family duties.
About the Author:
Originally from Senoia, GA, Marlena Stoddard lives in Santa Rosa, CA with her husband and two children. For more on Marlena, you can follow her on Google+.
CMO Contributor
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