Focus: Motherhood And Career by Michelle J. Budig, a professor

For women, having a child can be a bad career move. Research by Michelle J. Budig, a professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, shows that for every child a woman has, she suffers a 4 per cent loss in her income. For higher earners, it can go up to 10 per cent. This has been termed the ‘motherhood penalty’. Does this necessarily mean having a child is bad for your career? Or is it just a temporary loss of income? Do women have to choose between one or the other? Readers debate.

Balance

Motherhood and career are complementary

The new and modern generation has made a lot of things possible for women, including giving us chances to shine in the corporate world. With these opportunities, women, upon completing their university degrees, rush to the open doors of companies to find fulfillment in their career. Getting married and having children were seen as remaining blessings to complete the puzzle. At times, balancing career growth and motherhood may become challenging and could even be a major cause of arguments between husband and wife. However, with proper organisation and timing, it is possible for women to maintain a balance between life and work.

That’s because motherhood and career are complementary. Motherhood is the driving force for a woman to work hard and achieve greater heights. Career may be the achievement, but beneath lies the love and sacrifice so that the family can afford, financially and emotionally, a better life and more promising future. Having one (example, career) without the other (love or family) results in an endless search for the meaning of life and causes a void in a person’s existence.

As a woman’s professional and parental responsibilities grow, she can learn from each aspect to add to the other. Example, women in the office can share notes on motherhood and how to cope with raising children and working. Additionally, the challenges of motherhood prepare minds to handle stress and develop time management skills.

From Ms Maria Teresa Sanchez-Edpan

Accountant general based in Dubai

Fulfillment

Career can wait, motherhood is priority

In my opinion, motherhood is not a hindrance to a woman’s career growth. I have seen mothers who balance family and work life perfectly. While recent studies suggest a loss of income for mothers, I think this is only temporary. Women can regain any losses incurred. However, being a mother brings a different kind of joy and fulfillment, and these moments cannot be brought back again.

At times certain sacrifices have to be made for mothers to maintain that balance, but to say that children are a hindrance is unacceptable. Women might need to do some slight adjustments that can be considered ‘small hurdles’ in their career path, such as not being able to travel frequently or not doing night shifts, but I do not think this is bad for one’s overall career.

Additionally, there are plenty of women who do more than just work and raise children. Some stay-at-home mums pursue further education, and I have seen mothers who are self-made entrepreneurs. Many of my friends are working mothers who work from home, selling food and baked goods, organising parties and weddings, doing interior or fashion design. Such mothers did not maintain a ‘9 to 5 job’, but they were still able to advance their careers and pursue areas of interest.

With proper planning, women can strike a balance between work and home. Today’s companies have also made it easier for women to maintain this by providing daycare facilities at workplaces. This allows mothers to see their children during work hours while still being committed to their jobs.

Above all else, motherhood gives a feeling of accomplishment that cannot compare to career fulfillment. I believe raising a family is more important than building up of one’s portfolio. There will always be time to work and plan a career, but the joys of motherhood cannot be missed.

From Ms Qudsiya Shafi

Stay-at-home mother based in Dubai

Challenging

Motherhood imposes career limitations

Women who seek to pursue both career and motherhood will find challenges and limitations along the way. When I became a mother, I had a choice between being a working mum or a full-time one. I chose the latter. At that point, I always believed that my career could wait and that children will not be children forever. I wanted to witness their every milestone. Six years and two daughters later, my career is still on hold. I’m happy to have watched my children grow, yet the sense of fulfillment from a career keeps on prodding at me.

More than losing additional income for the family, it’s the tired muscles, no-time-for-myself drama, and hurt pride that’s taking its toll on me. I feel that my education will go to waste if I do not return to the workforce. Before career-oriented women start families, they need to consider a few things. I believe that in the first few years of the child’s life, a sacrifice has to be made on the part of the mother. Her career must be put on hold. In my case, now that my children are a bit older, I feel the need to find some stimulation or pursue some of my interests. Unfortunately, taking a career break to raise children creates a gap in your resume, and the market prefers younger employees.

Additionally, my job considerations as a mother are now very different. I would have to find a job that would not take away too much of my family time. In that sense, motherhood creates certain limitations. Despite of all the hardship and adjustment, however, being a mother is still the best feeling in the world and motherhood is the toughest job there is.

From Ms Sheryl Salvador

Homemaker based in Sharjah

Choice

Impossible to do justice to both roles

Motherhood and career are two terms that are always at loggerheads with each other. When you are trying to reach the peak of your career, it seems the biological clock is also ticking fast. Women may argue that being a mother should not negatively impact your career or that everything lies in careful planning and adjustment, but the truth remains that when you are a mother, it is not just difficult, but down right impossible to do justice to both roles. You may perform well at the office, but in the end, the one who suffers is your child.

Some career-oriented women are highly mistaken in thinking that providing for material and physical needs of a child by employing an efficient nanny is enough. What they forget is that a child’s needs are not limited to basic physical requirements. Working mothers do not consider the psychological and emotional impact on children when the physical presence of a mother is nil from their lives for almost 10 hours per day.

If the nanny or the babysitter is from another culture or religion, then the matter goes to another level. I have personally seen children who are more attached to their babysitters than to their own parents. Children growing up with an absent mother or parent face the risk of becoming emotionally detached from their parents, seeking love and attention from unsuitable sources and even developing issues such as anti-social behaviour, substance abuse, or criminal tendencies.

Additionally, a child needs a mother’s undivided time and attention during their school years, where the child is exposed to new experiences. A mother’s presence is a must when the child returns from school, so that she can listen, guide, support, correct, and lead him or her to the proper path.

Being a mother is a gift and a huge responsibility. It includes not only giving the children financial security and providing for their physical needs, but teaching them good habits, manners, morals, values, ethics, which are rooted in the parents’ beliefs. So choosing a career that gives a mother the space to do all this should be of utmost importance to women.

source : gulfnews