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Alternatives to Full-Time Work
by Susie Cortright
More than 72 percent of women with children under the age of 18 are in
the paid labor force, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics
released in October of 1998, Compare that number to 47.4% in 1970.
The fastest growing segment of the labor force today is women with
children under the age of 6.
In He Works, She Works: Successful Strategies for Working Couples,
authors Jaine and James D. Carter discuss the advantages and
disadvantages of returning to work after having a baby. Moms who return
in just six weeks are faced with a tremendous amount of guilt, but they
also, the authors say, have more self-esteem, create a worthy role model
for their children and are able to offer more financial opportunities to
their growing family. Of course, the mother often feels a great deal of
fatigue, as they still end up with 70 to 80 percent of the household
chores.
Women tend to view their roles in their family and career as
interdependent, these authors say. This contributes to a burdening sense
of guilt since they believe that, for them to thrive in the work world,
their family world must suffer.
Men, on the other hand, tend to view their work and family as two
separate realms...success in one essential for the nourishment of the
other.
Soul Searching
Is it time to make a change? If so, take out your journal. (If you have
never "journaled" before, read "Journaling: A Tool for the Spirit.")
This article will help you with a little soul searching.
The first step is to identify what is really important in your life. Ask
yourself what you really want from your profession and how your ambition
may or may not effect your role in the family.
In your journal, brainstorm all of the aspects of the professional world
that are important to you.. Here, you are attempting to determine your
chief motivation for working, or, as the case may be, for not working.
For example, my chief reasons for working are: career advancement,
personal ambition, goal-setting, self-improvement, maintaining
self-esteem, making a financial contribution to my family, and having
more direct control over our finances. What makes you get up each day
and go to work?
Next, identify your core professional values. Among the values you might
consider: job security; job satisfaction; vacation time; predictable
hours; salary; benefits; dispensable income for second home, car or
boat; flexibility; stable income; prestige; opportunity for advancement.
Now rank these values based on their importance to you in the world of
work.
Now, Brainstorm again. Why do you want to be a mother? List all of the
aspects in the world of family life that are important to you, and, once
again, identify your core values; this time, how they relate to your
personal and family life. Now rank these values based on their
importance to you in the world of work.
Keep these lists handy as we further explore how you may achieve an
existence that integrates all the things you value.
Exploring the options
Every set of parents that has faced the dilemma of balancing work and
family comes to one of four conclusions, in one degree or another. The
trick is simply to find the option that best works for you, your
personality, and financial situation. .
Option One: Full-time career woman by day/Full-time mom by night.
Option Two: Full-time career woman/Stay-at-home dad
Option Three: Full-time Mom
Option Four: Flexible Career
The first three alternatives are straightforward. You probably know
immediately whether they are the best option for you. But the last
option may deserve more consideration.
While many of women today are given the choice of whether to return to
work or stay at home with the baby, some women are trading their
full-time corporate lives for a more flexible alternative. An
alternative that will leave them time to nurture the child.
Catalyst, a New York based organization that works with businesses to
further the advancement of women, reports that women today have more
financial resources and experience in the corporate world. This makes
them more comfortable taking risks.
Some women choose to put their career on hold while they focus on the
family. Catherine Carbone Rogers, a mother of two, is the National
President of FEMALE (Formerly Employed Mothers at the Leading Edge).
Sequencing is one alternative and Rogers explains, it “allows women to
have it all--just not all at once.”
Sequencing takes many forms, but typically involves a woman spending one
phase of her life focusing on education and career, then shifting her
path to focus on the family.
During this family phase of her life, women with corporate experience
often need to rally together and stay connected either through support
groups, classes, or volunteer opportunities. FEMALE and Mothers at Home
have websites to offer support for mothers who choose to take a break
from corporate life.
Moms who opt for Choice Four may also consider a flexible job share
program. With the proliferation of the Internet, many employees are able
to work from home. Some of these women go back to office work part time.
Others start their own businesses so they can work from home. Nine
million women are business owners. Many are moms. Why not you?
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