N and I speak about having kids one day. We also speak about our finances and if I will work when we have kids. We know we'll make it all work but there is a lot to consider given how much we'll need to balance. As a woman, I feel like there is no easy answer and I know I'm not alone.
Feminism points to the equality between men and women, or lack thereof. Women broke through the glass ceiling. But it's not clear where that leaves us.
Successful women are coming out of the closet, so to speak, to admit that they want to come home from work early to be their for their children (gasp!). Other women think this is a slap in the face of what the feminist movement has worked so hard to achieve. There is no easy way to have work-life balance. Either you hire round the clock nannies, or you take a hit to your career.
Princeton Professor Anne-Marie Slaughter just published this article she contemplated for years because she knew how unpopular some of her opinions would be. In it, she speaks about how she was glad to leave her influential job so she could have more time with her children. Thank you for saying what I know to be true, Anne-Marie!
As an employer I have my perspective about women in the workplace. The reason employers are fearful of permitting their employees flex time is because they are concerned that their staff won't get done what is needed. If given the shot, employees have to live up to the expectations set forth in their job descriptions. The problem is that some people take advantage of the situation, and ruin it for the rest of us.
Men (mostly) assume that women who work from home will be too preoccupied by babies and errands to actually focus on the task at hand. It's a fair point. There are a lot of distractions at home. But I also know that an if an employee is happy their work product has the possibility of being far better than if they are distracted by their home life.
In short- give women a break.
I'll
