Can women have successful careers, and be good mothers?
This is probably the hardest question that any woman has to answer.
Does one have to take a back seat to the other?
As a mother of 3 children, and a Partner in a commercial legal practice, I must admit (and I know all working mothers will agree) that it is not easy juggling childcare, or a taxi service, as it is gradually becoming, and the pressures of having a career. I am therefore not surprised that in a recent survey by ‘Working Mums’ it was found that 9 out of 10 mothers find it difficult to get a job with sufficient flexibility.
“Where is my tie?�, “Are you going out to a dinner, again?�, “Well, who is going to pick me up if you can’t?�, are some of the many questions that working women will be familiar with. I have been fortunate throughout my career that my wish to work a flexible 4 days a week was greeted 16 years ago with agreement – although with a proviso that I had to understand that it would mean that I would never make Partner! I have been able, with the support of my former Partners in Cuff Roberts and Halliwells and my present Partners in Bermans, to work flexibly. This has allowed me to feel that I have had the opportunity to give both ‘careers’ the time and effort they both need and deserve. Not all women have this opportunity.
Of course many employees juggling care responsibilities and a job do have the legal right to request flexible working but many are faced, as the recent survey suggests, with a struggle to persuade businesses that it can work successfully for both the business and the woman.
As always, there needs to be a balance. There are clearly some positions in which it is always going to be extremely difficult to allow an employee to work on either a part-time or flexible basis but, there again, there are numerous positions that could be worked on a flexible basis, provided that both parties are willing to make it work.
I suspect that for the right employee, most businesses are willing to consider allowing women to change either their hours or working pattern rather than losing the employee altogether. Provided that the employee has demonstrated their commitment to the company and their being prepared to put themselves out for the needs of the business as and when required, then a request is likely to be considered sympathetically. It is therefore a question of give and take and there are few employers who would wish to lose a valuable member of staff if their requirements to work flexibly could be accommodated.
Most employers can see the benefits to them, such as increased efficiency, retaining the best talent and having a happier workforce. The challenge to employers will be how to maintain fairness, especially where flexible working is not appropriate to the particular needs of the business. The disadvantages of flexible working to employers may seem small compared with the pressures on working mums trying to juggle caring for their children and a career. The Working Mum’s report shows that 94% of mothers found that juggling family and work had a negative effect on both their physical and mental health and damaged their career prospects.
With these worrying statistics in mind, I hope that employers will make a more concerted effort to offer flexible working to enable women at all levels of society to be stress-free (dream on!) working mums.
Comments welcome!