Fiction, Falsehoods, and Other Myths About Working Mothers

A recent feature in The Atlantic by Anne-Marie Slaughter focuses on the workplace gender struggle. What seems like a clever title, “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All,” is actually a blunt article offering practical ideas that organizations could easily implement. Why implement her ideas? Because these ideas could help organizations recruit and retain valuable women in their workforce.

Slaughter’s article is controversial yet she has credibility by building off of her own experience working in a high-level government, dream job. In an interview with Hanna Rosin, Slaughter explains that no matter what choice a woman makes, it is never enough – whether she chooses to spend her time raising a family, building a career or both.

It’s time to stop reinforcing falsehoods and begin to recognize certain choices that should be available to all.  Here are a few key takeaways that might help your organization retain and recruit women:

 

• Match work schedules with school schedules. This is a simple notion with tremendous power to allow parents to spend more time with their children while also getting the work done.

• Value prioritization and time management, instead of demanding and rewarding unreasonable hourly dedication. Who says that the last to leave the office is the most efficient person? Working effectively is a trait that would help all employees, not just your female employees. Women are committed yet fail to gain top leadership positions. Slaughter remarks, “Of a hundred and ninety heads of state; nine are women.” Yahoo recently made a smart, bold move and named Marissa Mayer CEO of Yahoo. Mayer is also due to have her first child in October. A recent Twitter exchange between Sue Bethanis, CEO of Mariposa Leadership, and Slaughter however shows that more still needs to be done. In response to Bethanis’ tweet that perhaps women can have it all, Slaughter tweeted, “Some women can, absolutely. & I applaud her! but she makes my point. She’s superhuman, rich, & in charge. Still need change!”

• Change from an “office-centered” work culture and use technology to encourage a work/life balance. This allows for more flexibility as employees balance work and family life.

• Revalue family values and change rules so that all employees benefit from these rules. Slaughter recommends creating a  “family leave” policy versus a biased “parental leave” policy so that all employees can take time off to care for children as well as aging parents or siblings. Everyone has some sort of a family life they must give attention to; however the prevalent attitude among society favors professional advancement over all else.

• Women (and men) in power can change the environment and must speak up about commitments to family. This will help raise awareness in your organization. This conversation should also include the fact that family-friendly policies and economic performance can coincide together.

• The integration of work and an employee’s non-work life should be integrated more often. Slaughter says that play and imagination go hand in hand, stimulating innovation and collaboration.

In the end, society must recognize that valuing family and allowing employees the flexibility to manage their life is ultimately beneficial to the work environment. And if that’s not enough, think about this: These employees, both men and women, are raising the next generation of leaders. If the next generation isn’t given the care they need, what will the future workforce look like?