How have you balanced career and family in your life?

Not sure how many people are subscribed to this community, but I think there’s a few of us out there!

I think every woman is forced to grapple with this question as they enter adulthood. What has been your experience? Did you change your priorities at any point?

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ArbitraryMary 8 points 3 years ago

With help! Don’t write off outsourcing things like the housework to paid help.

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plum 5 points 3 years ago

It feels like hiring a nanny or housekeeper was taboo growing up in my neck of the woods, but I think we are slowly dispelling this idea that women can/should be doing EVERYTHING.

I once got a house cleaning quote for $250 and thought it was far too expensive. But then I wondered - am I still devaluing traditional “women’s work” to be worth less than minimum wage?

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ArbitraryMary 3 points 3 years ago

Yes it can be the case with a lot of cultures when women are expected to do everything. If you find the price of a housekeeper is too high though, you can always negotiate with them. Tell them what you’re looking to spend and how often and ask them what they can do for that price. Our cleaner comes once a week for 4 hours and we pay £40. So it’s above minimum wage and omg she does a good job. It’s worth every penny! We still have to keep on top of things in the week but it just means that the free time I have is more for quality time and not just chores.

Also a good tip for balancing work and kids - working from home. If one of the kids is off school sick or it’s the school holidays or something, WFH is a godsend. And an employer who is flexible with your hours. If you can find a boss who is happy that the work gets done and not what time of the day it’s done then you’ve struck gold!

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