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Working Women: How to have it all
Working women are most widely discussed
and most misunderstood issues of the modern society. Do they really have
it all or are they oppressed? "Having it all" is a myth for some women.
Especially when they sit and wonder
whether women seek employment on the same terms as men or are they content
with being dependents or secondary earners? Have equal opportunity jobs
had any real impact? They try desperately to achieve an ideal career at
the cost of their family time or an ideal home at the cost of an ideal
career or give a half hearted effort to both.
A recent survey of HBS alumnae from the
Classes of 1981, 1986, and 1991 indicates that only 38 percent of the
respondents are currently working full-time. * 54% of women start a
business so they can choose what hours they work, compared to only 35% of
men. ** 21% of women state family commitments as a reason for becoming
self-employed (2% men).
Women begin their first job with
enthusiasm and not only climb the corporate ladder confidently but also,
handle the dual task of being a home maker. If that's not enough they deal
with additional threats on the job such as discrimination, sexual
harassment, physical abuse and pregnancy exams as a condition of work.
Women's fertility drops after the age of 35 and when they have babies they
feel trapped in careers that do not accommodate a flexible schedule, the
impact of maternity leaves on promotion opportunities, and a realignment
of ambitions after experiencing parenthood in traditionally "male"
industries.
If women are smart and educated then
why should their life be so difficult? So, women today are creating new
career models to use their MBA skills as well as time with their family.
The decision to leave the typical full-time jobs is difficult. Leaving it
is like abandoning a part of you which gives you independence and security
but once you decide that your family comes first the priorities change and
so does your career path. Most women are working part time or on
contracted projects but are often not treated as a part of the regular
workforce. People assume that they don't want to move forward in their
career.
Women know that having a successful
life is better than just having a successful career. Therefore,
approaching life in phases makes it easier to really having it all. Some
women understand that we as women can have it all as long as it's not all
at the same time.
*[Figures extracted from on the move:
Women & Men Business Owners in the United Kingdom, IBM, February 2002]
** [Women as Entrepreneurs in Sweden
and the UK, The women's' Unit,Cabinet Office, 2001]
Written By: Nidhi Kaushik |
