Every ten seconds a baby is born in the United States.
It’s amazing to think that almost every time we blink our eyes a new life is manifested and someone becomes a new mom.
It also means that somewhere down the road these new mothers may be challenged by not wanting to choose between motherhood and a career or by needing a second income.
I understand how challenging that is because I was in same spot. In my case, I solved the problem by starting a business which gave me the flexibility to stay with the kids and bring in a second income as well.
The prospect of being a working mom is stressful in that our core instincts are to take care of our families and nurture them, however, the financial demands of daily living , not to mention our desire to feel productive outside the home become factors that make for a very delicate balancing act.
Carol Evans, president of Working Mothers Media said “Factors weighing on the minds of working mothers in particular throughout their lives are endlessly complex.”
She goes on to say that the best and most productive employer is the one who see the whole person, kids and all. Unfortunately, she reports that “mothers lack the support they need in the workplace and must find another way to succeed”.
I think she’s right.
Businesses today are trying to cope with increasing pressure on profits while grappling with the ramifications of rapidly changing rules and paradigm shifting requirements.
Not many employers are in a position right now to accommodate the needs of working mothers.
A “Working Mother” survey found some serious work/life disconnects among mothers. It says that women are basically settling. They really want something more ideal in terms of a balance between maintaining a job and being there for the kids, it isn’t working out that way for the most part.
More than half of Stay-at-Home-Moms who are career-oriented women would prefer to be back at work. The troubling aspect is that over 70% of moms, period, equated a job with simply being a way to pick up a paycheck.
In other words, finding fulfillment as a working mother is a difficult.
Career women have a different perspective.
What these studies boil down to is that Career vs. Paycheck is all about mindset. Many women are running in place simply to keep pace with the rising cost of everything from daycare to healthcare, and everything in between. Career women have a different perspective and it is not necessarily about money, rather, more about fulfilling needs related to personal and professional identity.
The work/life disconnect results from guilt about being unavailable at home, vs. shame resulting from choosing to stay home
Either situation can bring unhappiness and regret. It is a trying form of pressure for women to face causing a lot of confusion during some of the best years of a woman’s life.
As a woman, I believe we know best how to meet our needs. There is no right or wrong here, but there are solutions to this.
Thinking about starting a side business is a good idea.
Come on, admit it, you’ve sat at the kitchen table thinking about doing something for yourself and taking control of your time.
The traditional workplace is very slow to change.
By waiting and hoping for your employer to become more accommodating, time could pass you by.
You don’t have to quit your day job right off the bat. You can keep it while you develop an idea and work on a plan.
Having work that allows you the freedom and opportunity to grow is a powerful thing.
However you choose in the work/life paradox, you remain your own worst critic as long as guilt is a factor in that choice.
So why not say YES to the idea of going into a business for yourself, and finding the ideal work/life arrangement instead of settling for the grand bargain which is like buying a pair of shoes that don’t fit just because you need a something on your feet.
Whatever situation you find yourself in, are you truly enjoying it?
If you had to think about it, understand something very important.
You do not need to settle.
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