The Workplace Policies And Requirements

In today’s economy, it is a hard fact that many women will have to enter the workforce. In her article for The Atlantic, “Why Women Still Can’t have it All”, Anne-Marie Slaughter examines the difficulties faced by women who either have children or would someday like to do so. Having given up on the task of holding a high powered government position while being the mother of a teenager, her kairotic moment, the author discusses the changes that would be necessary in order for women to find a real work-life balance. Although Slaughter 's target audience is primarily women who seek high powered positions, the article contains ample information that should appeal to both men who seek to balance the needs of a growing family with their work responsibilities, as well as workplace policy makers who could help usher in the necessary changes. Her goal in sharing her experiences is to argue that women can succeed at the very top level of their organizations, “But not today, not with the way America’s economy and society are currently structured” (Slaughter).

Studies suggest that when the number of children in the home rise, and as the age of the youngest child decreases, there are more conflicts within the family. In establishing relationships with children, parents struggle to manage work and family, including having insufficient time to completely focus on both the necessities of work and family (Cichy, Stawski, & Almeida, 2012). Due to new job obligations, MJ experiences work stress independently, enhancing personal and financial stressors. There can be an adverse effect between job security and father-child relationship due to fathers striving to secure careers so they are able to provide for their family. As personal stressors are experienced more regularly, so are perceptions that one’s work obligations increase negative effects on their family life (Minnotte, Pedersen, & Mannon, 2013).

These figures demonstrate significant trends in the changing profile of today’s labour pool. Not only are companies forced to recruit and hire from an increasingly diverse workforce, but companies intent on succeeding also will have to retain, motivate and engage the most talented women. Flexible work arrangements are options for helping working mothers integrate work and family responsibilities, so that women can function better both at home and in the workplace.

The purpose of this essay is to inform us of the conditions in which millions of women in America, college educated or not, are having to attempt to raise their families and also maintain employment. It offers an explanation as to why many women in high power employment positions are

Past researches either supported or opposed the perceived incompatibility between motherhood and employment (Pacaut et al, 2012). This study revealed an increase in work interruption among women who began working before having children. It also showed a big decline in the gap that separates women with children and those without. The study concluded that changing attitudes towards mothers' work did not appear to ease the balance of work and motherhood. These attitudes include the availability of daycare

Suzanne Bianchi, John Robinson and Melissa Milkie’s Changing Rhythms of American Family Life were able to document that “mothers are spending as much time with the children as forty years ago, fathers were doing more at home and there is more gender equality” (Bianchi et al 2006, 169). In their data it showed the trend of workloads for both fathers and mothers to have increased “from 55 to 64 estimated weekly hours between 1965 and 2000 households with married parents” (Bianchi et al 2006, 171). This could attributed to that there was a big change that occurred that allowed more women and mothers to enter the workforce. Corresponding to the female participants in my sample that want to continue to work and further their career. Furthermore,

We know that balancing work and family life produces stress and guilt, not to mention the uncomfortable conviction that one day your child will cry to a therapist about how the babysitter nursed them through the chicken pox”(1). This quote is explaining how trying to balance work and family can cause stress, especially when children are involved. Children can effect parents at work and at home. Work can impact children needs and relationships between them and parents. In, “The Child’s View of Working Parents”, Daniels and Galinksy write, “Parents who have well work environments, who come home in a better mood and with more energy to invest in their children, have kids who fare better.

It is still common in today’s society to dismiss women’s experiences in the workforce. According to pureresearch.org, women are more likely than men to adjust their career in order to take care of their family. Anne-Marie Slaughter’s article has given me a lot of insight on how America is structured in terms of women in the workforce. She explains in her article “Why Women Can’t Have It All”, the difficulty of keeping a high profile job while taking care of her family. Her experiences is very common among women all over the spectrum of the workforce.

With the rise of the modern age economic survival has become difficult for families based on a single income. This economic need along with modern attitudes toward gender equality has resulted in women being represented in the workforce in greater numbers. However, until the 1960’s women faced severe discrimination when trying to enter and maintain a position in the workforce. Often qualified women would be passed over for men with less experience and education. Employers were fearful that women were too emotional and were not equipped to handle the stress of the work environment. Also driving the decision to not hire or promote women was the concern over the additional health care expenses and leave time pregnant

Do women belong in the workplace? Should employers treat them differently because of their responsibilities in the home? The article “Female Company President: ‘I’m Sorry to all the Mothers I Worked With’” by Kathrine Zaleski, president and co-founder of PowerToFly, argues that women can be both successful mothers and employees if employers take the initiative to accommodate them. She believes that women have the ability and skills to become both valuable employees and involved mothers, but employers need to make adjustments in several common work practices in order to build women up to their full potential.

When looking at women who left their careers to stay home and raise children, “[a Wharton Business School] study revealed that 43% of the women surveyed stayed out the workforce longer than they expected, and 87”% of those who initially never planned to return to work changed their minds, whether due to economic pressures or a reawakened desire for professional challenge” (Young, 47). Many women in these situations are forced to justify their time away from the professional world and their previous work experience is

Incomes in the U.S. are currently falling, particularly among low-income families. Because one income is no longer enough to support the family, it is now necessary for many women to bring home a paycheck as well. (Warner 27). Having young children while working is difficult for many women in the U.S. workplace. In fact, thirty-five percent of U.S. women have cited work and family balance as their largest, single concern (Appelbaum and Milkman 8). For this reason, many developed countries around the world devote resources to providing for their young families because they are aware of the role that women play in sustaining the country. In 2014, eleven countries provided at least one hundred weeks of protected leave and the majority of

First, the demands and rigor of long hours is not necessarily well suited to women who want to raise a family. Summers noted that the women in the highest positions are either unmarried or without children. Rising to the top of one’s field requires long hours and “near total commitments” in work. How many women are willing to sacrifice raising a family for a career? Historically, married men have been more likely to make that sacrifice. Summers acknowledges that that’s not how it should be, but that’s what it is. He also asks the question if it’s right that society should ask married women to choose family over career.

Robert Dorment’s summary from his article talked about that women always complained about men did wrong but men who worked so hard for their family and work-life balance. Richard used that word “castigate” for men that means women scold men, but they did not realize men worked so hard. Other quote about the castigation of men, “…person whose husband, by her own admission, sacrificed much in his own academic career to do other heavy lifting with their children, all so she could pursue her dream job and then complain about it, bitterly, in the pages of a national magazine” (Dorment 708). Anne-Marie Slaughter explained that women who get promotion from other positions that they realized they do not have spent time with their family and some women who leave their jobs because of their family reasons. The quote said, “It is unthinkable that an official would actually step down to spend time with his or her family that this must be a cover for something else” (Slaughter 682). Third article called Women, work and work/life balance: Research roundup talked about the wage inequality and unequal responsibilities between men and women. Women have more family responsibilities than men do because some women are staying at home while taking care of their kids. Last article, Work-Life Balance – An integrated Approach: The case for joint and several responsibility talked about the

Mothers are very passionate about their choice to work or stay at home with their children. This is a heated debate about what is best for children and who is the better mother. Just in the last generation more mothers are choosing to work, which is also sparking some conflict in families where grandparents felt it was important to stay at home with their children. This paper compares and contrasts both sides of working and being a stay at home mother. While there is no right or wrong answer to the work and family dilemma, it’s important to understand both sides.