The Working Mom

Being a mom and a career woman is really hard to do. You always feel like your life is unbalanced or the world is out to get you.

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Workplace Equality

Being a mom and a career woman is really difficult at times. We all know this, but somehow, when we are faced with troubles at work it makes things so much harder. Discrimination in the workplace still exists to this day. Women who want to be mothers and successful career women face all sorts of stereotypes that they have to prove wrong in order to make it to the top of their career. According to a study in the Wiley Online Library--Professionals Become Mothers-- women who were not mothers, were categorized as more competent, thus saying that they are more susceptible to doing a better job than women who are mothers. This shows that people do not believe that a woman can be a successful career woman and a mother at the same time. Momsrising.org is a big activist in giving mothers and women a voice in the world. They are supportive of the movement of women being successful at work and at home. They push issues and try to come up with the best solutions for working moms to be successful. One issue they push is the Paycheck Fairness Act. Women still get paid a little less than men do. Women now make up half of the country’s workforce and should get paid the same as a man does. This act could help with eliminating workplace discrimination against women in general and help moms who are struggling support their families.

Mom Guilt

Mom guilt is a real thing and many moms face this issue. Mom guilt is defined as an upset feeling you get when you need to take care of other priorities that take you away from your kids. Every mom wants to spend more time with their children and they get mom guilt when they are focusing on their career. It’s okay to focus on work, even though it makes you feel bad. A Harvard business school study shows that kids of working moms are better off than kids whose mothers do not work--especially daughters. Sons who grow up with career moms are more likely to grow up contributing to daily household chores. Daughters, on the other hand, who grew up with career moms are more likely to be more successful when they enter the workforce. They are not only more likely to be employed, but they are also more likely to hold supervisory positions than women who grew up with stay-at-home moms. They also earn 23% more than those women who did not have a working mother. These women look at their moms as role models and set great goals and standards for future generations. So moms, say goodbye to mom guilt! While being a career mom may seem hard at times, it is actually benefiting your child(ren).

Struggling with Balance

Balancing home and work life is difficult. You have high demands at work and at home. And we all believe that we can handle everything we are thrown, and while we can do it,  it takes a lot of organization and time to do so. Finding the balance where you finish everything at work and spend all the time you want with your kids is hard. WorkingMother.com and MomsRising.org are very helpful with balancing home and work. You can also find many tips from Pinterest.com. WorkingMother.com has a profile they call “The Balance Project”. They take high profile moms and talk about their demanding schedules and how they balance it. You should check out the one with Veronica Beard. (http://www.workingmother.com/balance-project-veronica-beard-fashion-designer) She talks about her constant running back and forth between fashion designer and stay-at-home mom. There are many more stories about successful career women and their way of balancing home and work life. It is not easy, but it is possible.

Making Time for Yourself

As a career mom, you rarely have time for yourself because of the constant demand from your work or family. Your career and family are important, but so is your well being. Sometimes you need to take a moment for yourself and recharge before you can do anything else. This might seem selfish to your kids, colleagues, or boss; but you will not benefit them if you are not at your full potential. Take a few breaths, sit back and do something you want to do. Pick up a book, binge watch a Netflix series, or start a new hobby or pick up an old one. Do something that you can just clear your mind and enjoy. Of course, your mind will trace back to something you need to do for your presentation next week or your mom guilt will kick in. You do not have to distract yourself for a whole day or anything, just take ten minutes to recharge yourself. Everyone needs their time, and you’re no different just because you’re a working mom.

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Works Cited

“About MomsRising - MomsRising.” MomsRising Blog RSS. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. <https://www.momsrising.org/page/moms/aboutmomsrising>

“WorkingMother.Com.” Working Mother. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. <http://www.workingmother.com/>

Daughters of working mothers grow up to be more successful in the workplace than their peers. They earn more, and Are More Likely To Be Bosses. “Kids Of Working Moms Are Better Off.” CNNMoney. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. <http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/15/news/economy/working-moms-kids-better-off-harvard-study/>

Cuddy, A. J. C., Fiske, S. T. and Glick, P. (2004), When Professionals Become Mothers, Warmth Doesn't Cut the Ice. Journal of Social Issues, 60: 701–718. doi: 10.1111/j.0022-4537.2004.00381.x

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