Saturday, September 20, 2008

It Is Not That Difficult To Manage Career and Kids

On the days when she travels from one place to another to her office, my friend Mary barely sees her 3 year old daughter Samantha. And that means she can dress Samantha Alexandra in the morning and pick her up from her in-laws - the child's daytime caregivers - at 5 p.m., leaving plenty of time for dinner and playtime together. Years ago, many working moms wouldn't have thought of asking to go part-time, work from home or some other flexible arrangement. Making it in the working world meant 40-hour work weeks or more - sometimes much more. But moms like Mary are looking to change the playbook as they seek more time with their kids, and employers are responding. Compressed work weeks, job sharing and telecommuting are all part of the new mix, although many employers have yet to relax their grip on their staff, and many women say anything short of a full-time commitment hurts their chances for top salaries and titles.

Ernst & Young's director of flexibility and gender equality strategy Billie Williamson said that…

“We're playing in a global economy and there is a demand for talent,”

Still, many mothers hesitate to take advantage. ¼th of women in a Center for Work-Life Policy survey said they worry they could hurt their careers by asking for flexibility.

On the edge I would like to say is there can be a balance between career and kids, if and only if the mothers try to manage their working hours and spend time with their kids.