Can Working Mums Truly Have Everything?

Can Working Mums Truly Have Everything?

Can Working Mums Truly Have Everything?

We've come a long way, baby, so the saying goes. But, have we really? The question arises frequently for working mums whose decision to work outside the home is still debated by society. The discussion revolves around the ongoing debate about women and feminism, and in particular, concerns about what the impacts our roles as mothers and careerists might hold.There's no doubt that we, as women, have come a long way. With the Betty Friedans and Germaine Greers of second wave feminism leading the way, women in the 1960s and 1970s challenged a multitude of de facto inequalities around issues of sexuality, family, the workplace, and reproductive rights, and emerged for the most part victorious and more confident than ever that women could "have it all." For the first time, women had choices, and as doors opened, women could make decisions about childbearing, careers, and education"it all."Second wavers fought a hard battle and forty years later, we owe much to their struggles. This is the reason why the sharp comments of popular British actress Emma Thompson in the US edition of Good Housekeeping created a debate. Ms. Thompson blasted the thought that women can and should have it all, referring to it as as "revolting concept". Going on to dismiss the idea as a "false" and unattainable ideal, one might initially take Thompson's comments as a fresh reminder that women today needn't feel the urge to compete with Superwoman, and indeed, some fans applauded her as an "eminently sensible" role model, and were grateful "to hear a celebrity admit to not being perfect, to making sacrifices and being normal."The downside to Ms. Thompson's reasoning, though, is the fact that snagging up Academy Awards and millions worth of movie contracts isn't the kind of circumstance many working mums enjoy as part of daily life. It's not to say that Thompson isn't a busy working mother herself. With a ten year old daughter and an unofficially adopted Rwandan refugee son in addition to a history of film and screenwriting success, it's obvious Thompson has worked hard to get where she is. But when Thompson rails against hiring outside help as though it were some form of maternal fraud, she neglects to consider the circumstances of the rest of us working mums who don't have Oscars lining the mantle. Thompson claimed, "The only way you can have it all is by delegating all the running of the home to other peoplewhich I don't ever want to do ... So you do it yourself, and it takes up a lot of energy, time and effort. When you give it this time, it's fulfilling."Apparently, the selfless decision to stay at home with the kids and avoid putting them at risk of the evil hired help is one all working mothers can easily afford to make; never mind the scare of losing jobs, the escalating living expenses, downturn of global economy, and amortization payments to take care of. In a scathing riposte, Telegraph columnist, Judith Woods, found it "hard to credit [Thompson's] remarks with any intelligence," noting that, "No one ever refers to nurses or teachers or clerical workers as having it all - they are 'struggling to make ends meet'... The fact is, Emma Thompson, you do have everything."The truth is that Thompson's life is one far removed from the realities of most women's. The women I am acquainted with recognise the pressure and complexity that are ineherent in handling work and home life, yet they are still wistful about the idea of having it all and having the means to achieve it. The core of the issue is the manner we define the meaning of "having it all". Identifying "it" and who is able to describe it? If you're struggling with the idea of "having it all", why not try Professional Coaching and let a Professional Working Mums' Coach support you while you pursue your goals and dreams?

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