New research suggests that the majority of US women are satisfied with both their professional and personal accomplishments, reports MSNBC.com, with many working moms finding ways to make their lives work both at home and at the office.
A survey by Kenexa Research Institute looked at whether women thought their futures looked promising and 62 percent responded with the following answer: “I can meet my career goals and still devote sufficient attention to my family/personal life.” Interestingly, only 59 percent male respondents could say the same.
Thanks to the changing landscape both at work and at home, a growing number of women are redefining what it means to be successful with balance being near the top of their list of priorities.
“Having a fulfilled or satisfied personal life is an aspect of achieving a promising future at an organization,” Brenda Kowske, research manager at Kenexa, told MSNBC.
Of course, that work/life balance means women are making sacrifices when it comes to their career ambitions. Women still make 77 cents on the dollar to men and hold only 13.5 percent of the executive officer positions, according to Catalyst, reports MSNBC.
Some fear that women are altering their idea of success because they’ve given up trying to climb the corporate ladder in an environment that doesn’t support working moms. As we’ve reported before, the US is one of the only industrialized nations without mandatory paid family leave, and there are very few affordable child care options available.
“Are we being pioneers or simply giving in?” Pamela Stone, associate professor of sociology at Hunter College and author of Opting Out: Why Women Really Quit Careers and Head Home, asked MSNBC.
But the good news is that women now make up 51 percent of the country’s workforce, which means we could be reaching a critical mass that could help push through some much-needed reforms in the area of work/life balance.
“Women are reshaping the workforce, and I think a cultural change is underway,” William Doherty, professor and director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program in the department of family social science at the University of Minnesota told MSNBC.
For many working moms, those changes couldn’t come soon enough.
Photo via Parental Guide.