“Scrap” The Tough Climb If You Wish, It’s Okay, Really.
Working moms too often feel overwhelmed at the end of a long day. Sometimes at the end of a long week. What if you suffer such malady at the end of a very long month? Might be time to reconsider your options so declares Dr. Wesley Popham, family and marriage psychologist and teacher. Multi-talented Mr. Popham teaches more then shrinkdom, he goes for the common sense variety.
When a son was born to the Ph.D and wife Jing, they found the cost of childcare almost too excessive to allow both to work. But Mrs. Popham liked having contact with people and her income was helpful to the couple. Jing got a child care license and began caring for other children.
This allowed her interaction other adults, parents of the kids she looked after, as well as teaching her own son, an only child, the social skills required to get along well with others.
Too often biz moms slave under long grueling work hours. Too often women labor under workplace discrimination. Far more often, such is the case when motherhood demands conflict with the boss’ requirements. These pressure mount, making it difficult to be that all perfect mom. And that is without adding the fact you are statistically only likely to be paid about 2/3rd the reward of your male peers in spite of applying equal skills.
So what to do?
Quit.
Not surprisingly more working mothers see part-time, rather than full-time employment a real win-win. After all, you, probably an excellent employee, also may make an outstanding employer.
Before you bail, if considering your own business, it is wise to take at least one or two businesses courses at some local institute of learning near you. Understanding the need to balance bankbooks, apply for loans, minimum tax law info, is a good start no matter the type of business. For any who need even more assistance, SCORE is there to help you any place in the nation.
Recently, Pew Research Center survey concluded that when asked about their “ideal” situation only 21% of working mothers liked the spot they found themselves in. This figure has dropped from 32% during a decade. Ten years after the first survey, 60 percent of respondents cite part-time work as “ideal,” up sharply from 48 percent, while 19 percent of employed moms this year maintain they actually prefer not to work outside the home.
Pamela Stone, a sociology professor at Hunter College in New York City states in her book, “Opting Out” that after interviews with 54 previously high-powered working moms across the country, they were happy to have left the business world.
Alas, many mothers can’t afford to scale back to part-time work – provided they can even find it. Mounting appeal of such an arrangement highlights the extent to which today’s conditions beleaguer working moms.
Expected to meet corporate America’s drive for productivity plus all the demands that entails, they too play key roles in parenting. The burden gets heavier when many find themselves caretakers of an aging parent(s).
The brighter side of this dilemma is that employers have begun to notice rising concern among biz moms with increasing desire for more “work-life balance.” Some organizations are too, now many are adopting novel approaches making changes in the world. Most often, these occur when requested.
A few employers state they would rather not have employees who want to be accommodated, but very few. Most would rather keep you by offering flexible working schedules, telecommuting, and some even job sharing, to fill their employee needs.
If you find yourself stigmatized in any way, it may be time to become the best boss you ever had, you. Some of the best money around these days is a result of a huge corporation that employs those glad to hold home Scrap Book parties, a multi-billion dollar annual industry.
Whatever the choice, one must ask, can I make more than 2/3rd of what the boss is paying someone at the next desk?
Another upside is, if it doesn’t work out, there’s always another place of employment so as you breathe adieu to your slave mine, whisper your favorite line, “I was looking for a job when I came here.”
Copyright (c) Strasbaugh 2007 www.writerset.com
