Work-life balance is a lie! Female business leaders say telling young women they can ‘have it all’ is dangerous
Work-life balance is a myth and telling young women they can ‘have it all’ is dangerous, say female leaders.
This sentiment was shared by women across industries who said the idea of Superwoman is “dead.”
Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of TIAA, a Fortune 500 financial services company, said that “work-life balance is a lie.”
She admitted that she only spent 30 percent of her time with her children.
“On any given day, I may not feel like I’m the best [mother] when I travel,” she said.
“There are days when I don’t feel like I’m a great CEO. There are times when I don’t feel like I’m being a great daughter. But over time I’m a really good one [mother].
Work-life balance is a myth and telling young women they can ‘have it all’ is dangerous, say female leaders. Samantha Cameron (L), wife of British Prime Minister David Cameron, poses for photos with Kate Grussin, founder of Sapphire Partners, who told The Guardian it was ‘dangerous’ to promote the idea that women can have it all
Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of TIAA, a Fortune 500 financial services company, said that “work-life balance is a lie.” She admitted that she only spent 30 percent of her time with her children
“And over time, I believe I’m achieving my purpose as a leader and doing a great job.”
ITV presenter Charlene White said: ‘If we focus on it too much [work-life balance]we live in a constant state of guilt.’
‘I don’t think about work-life balance. I just do my best every day,” she added.
Kate Grussing, founder of Sapphire Partners, told The Guardian it was “dangerous” to promote the idea that women can have it all.
‘Telling younger women the lie that they can have it all is dangerous. It is essential that women take off those rose-colored glasses because that myth makes women believe they are deficient,” she said.
Grussing added that there was a need for trade-offs because different necessities require different levels of attention.
Kate Daly, co-founder of divorce law firm Amicable, said that “Superwoman, in the comic book definition, is dead.”
“The modern superwoman juggles millions of balls, expecting to drop a few.”
Pop star Lily Allen has previously revealed that having children ‘totally ruined’ her career.
‘My children ruined my career. I love them and they complete me, but in terms of pop stardom they have totally ruined it,” the Smile singer told the Radio Times podcast in March.
“It really annoys me when people say you can have it all, because honestly, you can’t,” the 39-year-old added.
Data from the Fawcett Society shows that around 250,000 mothers in Britain have left work, largely due to childcare problems.
For women who continue to work after having children, the financial consequences can be serious.
PwC reports that mothers face a 60 percent drop in income compared to fathers in the ten years after their first child.
And more than 40 percent of mothers surveyed by the Fawcett Society declined promotions, fearing the impact on their childcare responsibilities.