The issue of juggling work and children for women in burgeoning careers is only becoming increasingly apparent as more and more women are assuming top career positions.
InterExec, a British recruitment agency that seeks senior business executives, conducted a survey with top job recruiters in the UK and found that 53% believed women vying for a job position paying over 150,000 pounds (233,130 USD) should not undergo career hiatus of any kind. CEO of InterExec, Kit Scott-Brown, said that this result is not to say that those surveyed believe women should not take their place in executive positions, but that women taking time out of their careers to take care of newborns and children would irrevocably hurt their progress to the top.
A male chief executive believed that women in budding careers will most likely be thinking along the same lines. "Things are changing, but things are changing not because everyone is suddenly bending over backwards for women and understanding that their career breaks are valuable," he said. "They’re changing because women are starting to realize they can’t have it all and are making clear career-or-babies decisions. I used to work in the US, and there women get very little maternity breaks and there are a lot more of them at senior levels in the big boardrooms."
This view is not limited to being from a male point of view. Netmums.com (online forum for moms to post questions and concerns) founder Siobhan Freegard says, "I speak from experience that there is an enormous pool of talent out there, and if you want to get the best people into your company then be 100% mum-friendly.” She adds, “Unfortunately, I do think it’s true that women who want to get to the boardroom will have to outsource their lives, but perhaps they won’t want the same for their daughters, and then things will change."
See the original article from The Observer here.
Photo by Wondermonkey2k of Flickr.
