the playing field and empowering women and minorities, women still regard children as being detrimental to their careers. Research shows that in societies where gender roles are more traditional and conservative, and in particular where the ideal role of a woman is that of homemaker and caregiver, societal values have a strong influence on a woman’s perception of how motherhood will impact her career ie society’s expectation of her as a mother will significantly influence her perception of her ability to be a mother and to pursue a career simultaneously. In societies where the role of homemaker and caregiver is not as rigid and is not associated with a particular gender, women do not perceive motherhood as having a material impact on their career prospects.
The Village
A colleague recently shared with me her view that we cannot truly say that we have achieved gender equality until such time as a man and woman, when making the decision to start a family, both have to consider the impact that the decision will have on their respective careers, because it will be “normal” for either parent, or both, to take extended leave following the birth of a child or choose to enter into flexible arrangements. For my colleague this was the hallmark of a society that was not enslaved to its archaic notions of what men and women should and should not do, irrespective of what they can in fact do. Changing cultural and societal beliefs seems a lofty goal, but we can start by raising our children differently. By teaching our boys that they can and should be fulfilling the role of caregiver to their children and that it is not a domain that is strictly reserved for women. By teaching our girls that they are not bad mothers for making the decision to pursue a career and not wanting to be the primary caregiver to her children. A strong support system is often cited as being key to a working mother’s success. Notwithstanding that working mothers have some support from spouses, partners or parents who share parental responsibilities, research shows that most working mothers are ultimately responsible for the running of their homes and families in addition to working a full-time job. The role of caregiver, should not be exclusively reserved for the mother, but should be a role that is interchangeable between both parents. If she is to succeed and thrive, every working mother needs a spouse or partner who is prepared to assume the same supporting role in her life, as she does in theirs. There are numerous studies which suggest that the greater the representation of minorities in senior management, the more accommodating the organization will be of that minority group. Surprisingly, I found that notwithstanding the significant number of women in senior positions in South African law firms, these senior women are perceived as not being supportive or empathetic towards new mothers and in fact were considered to be a deterrent to their progression at the firm, because the perception that the research participants held, was that it was only a particular type of woman that was able to ascend in a law firm, namely a career centered and work-oriented woman. I cannot over-emphasize how important it is for all women to respect and support the choices that every other woman makes for her life and her career.
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