Over the last fifty years, striking a balance between work and motherhood has posed a problem for families across the United States. Moms have always been our unsung superheroes, and the pandemic only brought to light just how hard they work
While both parents may work, the burden of childcare almost always falls on the mother. A recent American Association of University Women study reveals that mothers are 40% more likely to report that child care issues harmed their careers.
An additional 23% claim they have been treated “as if they aren’t committed” to their jobs because of their children.
Whether you’re setting goals, scheduling time for yourself, or meal planning to save time on dinner prep, there are certain tricks to maintaining a healthy balance between work and life.
“Know how to set boundaries,” says working mom Julie Cameron. The owner of Family Trips and Travels has three children, ages 3, 5, and soon to be 7. Before the pandemic, Julie commuted from her home in Westchester to New York City.
“It was about an hour-and-a-half commute, and I was doing that about three or four days a week,” says Julie. Since the pandemic, she’s been fully remote. “The commute definitely took a toll,” she admits. Switching to full-time remote work means Julie works out of her bedroom.
“I had just set up a workspace in my bedroom, and I’m still doing that now. That definitely gets hard,” she says. With her children downstairs, separating her work life from her family can sometimes be challenging. “I do have a lot of times when I’m on Zoom calls, and they come barging in either excited or crying,” says Julie. “All my coworkers know my children at this point.”
43% of women had at least one full year with no earnings, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, twice the number of men in the same circumstance.
For moms like Alice Wu. “My plan was always to restart my career when the older one was in full-time school, and my youngest could be in full-time care.” She started applying in December 2019.