Working moms face a difficult balance. People often feel that most women have a choice whether to work outside the home, but the reality is, 65% of families need both parents to work. Women in the workforce is a family issue, not simply a women’s issue, so this episode is useful for more than just women. Allison and Grace join us again to dive into the topics of gender bias, women in the workforce, and they provide helpful strategies and resources to help anyone that is struggling with how to balance it all.
Women face both internal and external gender bias
Studies have found that as women achieve more success in the workplace they risk being viewed as less likeable. This presents a unique challenge for women pursuing ambitious career tracks and leadership roles. Even directly out of college, women seem to start out behind men as they begin their careers. For example, only 7% of women negotiate their first salary whereas 57% of men do. Men are often rewarded for their drive and ambition while those same traits in women are considered self-serving and greedy. In Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In, she gives useful advice on how to make the most of your career and motherhood. Discover how to overcome your own gender bias on this episode.
What is truly essential to you?
Working moms aren’t the only ones that seek the perfect work-life balance. But is “having it all” a myth? One way to bring more balance into your life is to consider what is truly essential to you. Once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all then you can make your highest contribution to the things that really matter. The book Essentialism by Greg McKeown inspires readers to prioritize what they really need. This book can help you reconsider what is essential in your life. How can you reconsider what is important to you? Listen to this episode to hear more about this book and other resources for working moms.
How do successful women spend their time?
Some people seem to be masters at managing their time. What Laura Vanderkam discovered is that when you focus on what matters to you, then you’ll make time for what you want. She emphasizes that time is elastic and you can stretch it to get what you need out of life if you prioritize what is important to you. We are all given the same amount of time in a week, it’s how we use our time that counts. Successful women get paid for the quality of work they do, not the hours they put in. How do you prioritize your schedule and make time for what you really want?
Discover resources for working moms
As you come back to work after having a child your life changes immensely while your partner may not be experiencing the same changes. Even though fathers often take time off of work for the birth of a child, they likely will not face the same physical and emotional struggles as their wives. Whether women return to work after having children or stay home, the decisions around this issue will be some of the most difficult you will face. The fact is that all mothers are working mothers and there are tradeoffs with either path. Listen to this episode of Financial Symmetry to find some fantastic resources for working moms.
Outline of This Episode
- [3:49] There are gender biases both internally and externally
- [12:45] What is essential to you?
- [17:12] How do you strike a balance with your spouse?
- [23:50] Can you achieve more by doing less?
- [30:10] How do successful women make the most of their time?
Resources & People Mentioned
- Episode 51: Financial Savvy for Women
- BOOK – Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
- BOOK – My Mother My Mentor by Pamela Lenehan– for the guilt complex
- BOOK – Bossy Pants by Tina Fey — for comic relief
- BOOK – Essentialism by Greg McKeown
- BOOK – Getting to 50-50 by Sharon Meers
- TV SHOW – Big Little Lies
- BOOK – Porn For Women by Susan Anderson — for comic relief
- BOOK – Drop the Ball by Tiffany Dufu
- BOOK – I Know How She Does It by Laura Vanderkam
- TED TALK –Laura Vanderkam How to Gain Control of Your Free Time
Connect with Grace and Allison
Connect With Chad and Mike
- https://www.financialsymmetry.com/podcast-archive/
- Connect on Twitter @csmithraleigh@TeamFSINC
- Follow Financial Symmetry on Facebook
