Conclusions:
In summary, the key issues related to working mothers are as follows:
- Lack of networks
- Self esteem at not being at par with peers who are working full time
- Frustration on not getting adequate recognition at work / home
- Conflicting life interests
Desired Job Characteristics post having children
Most mothers consider their children heavily when choosing a career. Not only do they want a job that will provide them the pay they need to support their families, but they need the flexibility required to fulfill the responsibilities of raising children. Women prefer a job that will make working less stressful for women reluctant to be away from her children.
Steps women take to sustain their careers
Recent surveys have also shown that the women with children have also made significant advancements in management. Though they are a) working for little less hours per week but still they are b) progressing by utilizing their past experiences and c) training and development sessions. Women with children d) use education as a way to enhance their knowledge while they are on small career breaks.
There is a lot of scope for coaching working mothers and what would be interesting to note is the amount of time and effort that organizations are willing to invest in coaching and in seeking expert guidance to enable women to sustain their careers in the long term.
Appendix
Appendix A
Tips for Returning Mothers: Sustaining a career post having children
a) Do not quit the moment you know you have conceived – remember you still have more than 7 months to go
b) Talk to new mothers you know to understand the kind of work and time you need to spend at home with a new baby
c) Initiate discussions at home about child care support options as early as 6 months prior to delivery
d) Initiate discussions at work around the same time regarding your desired life style post child birth
e) Start considering alternate work options anyways. Questions to ask yourself:
a. How much time do I want to spend with my child every day?
b. How much work can I do every week?
c. Will I want to travel and what I need to do to enable that? If not, then what kind of work options do I need to consider?
d. What steps do I need to take to ensure I maintain my social life post child birth?
e. What financial considerations do I need to keep in mind when planning an alternate career?
f. Given the child care support I am likely to have, what hours would I be able to work?
g. What should I do to ensure I am not alone in my motherhood journey?
h. What are some things at work that typically add to my stress levels? What job options will make me avoid being in such situations?
Appendix B
Tips for Employers: Career models and policy considerations that enable retention of women
a) Assume that existing roles would not work for returning mothers in the long run
b) In addition to an extended maternity leave, allow for 3 months of experimental roles in a department / function of their choice, without an impact on the salary
a. Include varied hours of working (up to half a day would not attract a pay cut)
b. Consider allowing an option of paid, personalized reskilling in case the chosen area of work is new and the employee is assumed to demonstrate potential in that area
c. Invite mothers to network virtually once a week and in person once in two weeks to enable the establishment of a support group (presence of a woman leader would help such forums)
d. Provide an option of exclusion from the annual performance rating system for 1 year, extendable up to 3 years
Bibliography
Work-life integration: Experiences of mid-career professional working mothers, Geraldine Grady, Centre for Innovation and Structural Change, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland, and Alma M. McCarthy,J.E. Cairnes Graduate School of Business & Public Policy,
National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland) http://wes.sagepub.com/content/24/4/621
The online version of this article can be found at:
DOI: 10.1177/0950017010380631, Work Employment Society 2010 24: 621, Susan Durbin and Jennifer Tomlinson, Female part-time managers: networks and career mobility
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science © 2004 American Academy of Political and Social Science
Paper presented to the annual conference of the Australian Institute for Family Studies,12 March 2003, Catherine Hakim, London School of Economics
Advancing the careers of women with children by Isabel Metz Department of Management University of Melbourne, Australia
Manager and Mommy? A cross cultural comparison by Claudia Peus (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA) and Eva Traut-Mattausch (Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany)
Opting out and opting in: understanding the complexities of women’s career transitions by Elizabeth F. Cabrera School of Global Management and Leadership Arizona State University Phoenix, Arizona, USA
The relationship between motherhood and professional advancement: Perceptions versus reality
Lorra M. Brown, William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey, USA
Opting out and opting in: understanding the complexities of women’s career transitions by Elizabeth F. Cabrera School of Global Management and Leadership Arizona State University Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Reference Links
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-caprino/career-advice_b_1321649.html
http://www.crisp-india.org/contact-us/local-chapters/1156-wanted-fathers-who-will-share-responsibility-in-raising-children.html
http://www.genconnect.com/career/single-women-in-thirties-career-woman-myth/
http://www.motherhoodthetruth.com/working-mom/