February 12, 2013 PowerPoint Slides (3 Per Page)

2/4/2013

1

Motherhood, Career &

the Work-Life Conflict

Samantha Parent Walravens

Presentation to the Society of Women Engineers

February 2013

Presentation Goals

Define the work-life conflict.

Outline solutions:

What workplaces are doing.

What the government is doing.

What YOU can do.

Q&A Session.

Samantha Parent Walravens www.samanthawalravens.com

Mother of 4, author and writer for the Huffington Post

Guest on NPR, the Today Show. Interviews with the

NY Times, LA Times, Salon.com, Healthy Woman

AB Princeton University, MA University of Virginia

2/4/2013

2

Women Today Are “Torn”

Grew up thinking we could “have it all”- kids, career,

marriage.

Competing demands of kids

and family taking their toll on

women.

There IS no balance when it

comes to kids and career.

Moms Today Just Can’t Win...

51% of stay-at-home moms worry that they aren’t contributing to their family’s

finances.

55% of working moms feel

guilty about not spending

enough time with kids.

Moms working part-time feel

mediocre at home and work.

“What Moms Think: Career vs. Paycheck,” Working Mother

Magazine, 2010

The Big Picture:

More women today are graduating from college

and working than ever before.

2/4/2013

3

Women Make Up 50% of the U.S.

Workforce

U.S. Dept of Labor Statistics, 2011

Women made up 33% of the workforce in 1950.

Women own 50% of small businesses in U.S.

Women Outnumber Men in

College Degrees

Department of Education, 2010

Women earned 60% of college degrees in 2010. Men earned 40% of

degrees.

Majority of Mothers Today Work

71% of moms with kids under age 18 work. 64% of moms

with kids under 6.

Moms contribute 45% to the household income.

ForbesWoman and theBump.com “Parenthood and Economy 2012 Survey

2/4/2013

4

Yet...

Women still lag behind men (and women

without children) in pay and power.

Women Lag Behind in Pay and

Power Women make just 77

cents to the male

dollar.

Women hold just

4.2% of CEO

positions, 15% of all

executive level

positions at Fortune

500 companies.

Men control 83% of

Congress.

Just one year out of college, women make

18% less than men.

U.S. Census Bureau 2010; Institute for Women’s

Policy Research

Women Vastly Underrepresented in

STEM Jobs Women make up only

25% of the STEM

workforce.

14% of engineers and

19% of software

developers are women.

Women in STEM

careers earn 33% more

than in non-STEM

careers, yet # of women in these careers hasn’t

grown since 2000.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration Report: Women in STEM: A

Gender Gap to Innovation, 2011

2/4/2013

5

52% of Women in STEM Careers

Drop Out 52% of women in STEM careers drop out between ages

35-44 without returning. Higher rate than any other

profession.

Reasons for leaving:

Male-dominated work culture, women don’t feel

welcome.

Inability to advance/get promoted.

Few female role models, mentors.

Lack of work-life balance.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration Report: Women in STEM: A

Gender Gap to Innovation, 2011

Lost Earnings by Full-time Working

Women

Over the course of her lifetime, the pay gap can cost a woman and

her family tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost wages,

reduced pensions, and reduced Social Security benefits. U.S. Department of Labor, 2011

Is Motherhood to Blame?

2/4/2013

6

The “Motherhood Penalty”

Stanford professor Shelley Correll,

2005 study.

Set out to understand why it is that

mothers earn 10-15% less than

women without children. Why they

lose 5% of their earnings PER

child.

Study showed clear bias exists

against mothers in the workplace.

Shelley Correll, Getting a Job: Is There a The Motherhood

Penalty? Cornell 2005

The “Motherhood Penalty”: Results

Offered $11,000 less in salary than identical

women without kids.

Less likely to be hired, half as likely to be

promoted.

Rated as less committed and less competent

than non-mother counterparts.

Held to higher performance and punctuality

standards.

Working mothers (vs. identical women without

kids):

Shelley Correll, Getting a Job: Is There a The Motherhood

Penalty? Cornell 2005

The “Fatherhood Bonus”

Earn 19% more than identical men without

kids.

Offered $6,000 more in salary than the non-

fathers.

Rated as more committed to their jobs and

more competent than men without children.

Working fathers (vs. identical men without

kids):

Shelley Correll, Getting a Job: Is There a The Motherhood

Penalty? Cornell 2005

2/4/2013

7

Conclusion:

There is a family bonus for working fathers,

a family penalty for working mothers.

Defining the Work-life Conflict:

A look at gender roles in our society

The American Family Today

In the U.S., 71% of

mothers with kids under 18

work. 64% of mothers with

kids under age 6 work.

4 out of 5 families have

both parents working.

Isolated nuclear family

becoming the norm.

Extended family not

around. Families move for

jobs.

In 2011, only 16% of American households

contained a breadwinner husband and a

stay-at-home wife.

U.S. Dept of Labor Statistics, 2011

2/4/2013

8

Society Still Structured Around a “Stay-at-Home Mom” Model

Workplaces operate as if every family had a “stay-at-home

mom” (SAHM) to take care of

kids and household. Not the

case anymore.

Traditional gender stereotypes

ingrained: Man= breadwinner;

woman= caregiver.

Women who work full time still

do 2x childcare and 3x

housework.

U.S. Dept of Labor Statistics, Time Use

Study 2010

The “Good Mother” vs.

“Ideal Worker”

“Good Mother” is someone who is always available

to her children. Pressures on moms today to breastfeed for a year, practice “attachment

parenting,” keep kids off drugs.

“Ideal Worker” in U.S. starts work in early

adulthood and works full-time and full-force for 40

years without taking a break. Work comes before

family.

For women, the identities of mom and professional

are in direct conflict with each other. Not so for

men.

“How can women reach for the stars when their ideals of motherhood

conflict with the intense time demands of today’s top jobs? - Joan Williams, Center for Work-life Policy

Mapping the Solutions

What workplaces are doing

What the government is doing

What YOU can do

2/4/2013

9

Workplaces Waking Up to the

Problem

Old workplace model based on the assumption

of a 2-parent family with dad working and stay-at-

home mom is no longer viable.

New face of the American workforce: 50%

women; global.

Next generation workers expect more flexibility

and balance.

Technology allows for mobile workplaces, lessens need for 9-5 office hours & “face time.”

What Do Working Parents

Want?

Flexible work arrangements: telecommuting, flex time,

compressed work week, reduced hours, job sharing,

part year work.

Paid family and sick leave.

Better childcare options: more affordable, higher

quality.

More understanding from management about work-

life needs.

Working Mother Magazine Survey 2012

Working Mother Magazine-- what working parents want:

Mapping Maternity Leave

U.S. only country in

industrialized world that doesn’t mandate paid

maternity leave.

FMLA (1993) offers 12

weeks unpaid leave.

Companies with under

50 employees excluded.

53% of U.S. employees

receive no paid leave for

childbearing.

U.S. Dept of Labor Statistics, 2011

2/4/2013

10

Working Mother Magazine:

Best Companies 2012

Offer paid maternity leave (some offer paternity leave

for fathers).

Nurture leadership potential for women thru

mentoring and networking programs.

Offer flexibility in work schedules-- including

condensed work weeks, part time work and

telecommuting.

Find innovative ways to promote wellness by offering

fitness amenities, comprehensive health plans, stress

reduction and other programs.

Working Mother Magazine 2012

Example: Deloitte

“Corporate Lattice” model. - Cathy Benko

Allows for lateral, diagonal and upward movement.

“Face time” replaced with virtual (mobile) workplace.

Companies prove to be more adaptable, more

profitable, have higher revenue growth. (Cisco,

Reuters, AT&T).

Working Mother Magazine 2012

Example: Dell

25% of employees work on a remote basis full-time.

Introduced “Global Move Policy” in 2010 to allow new

hires to work from home. (previously they had to

move to be closer to headquarters).

95% of employees say their manager supports work-

life effectiveness. Versus 33% before the policy was

instituted.

Working Mother Magazine 2012

2/4/2013

11

Example: Netflix

“Freedom & Responsibility” approach: Employees

are given the flexibility to do what they do best.

Employees get unlimited vacation time.

Employees structure their own compensation

packages.

In return, über-performance is expected.

When employees don’t live up to expectations, they

get “a generous severance package.”

Result? A highly talented and motivated workforce.

Working Mother Magazine 2012 ; Michelle Conlin, “Netflix: Flex to the Max,” Bloomberg

Business Week, September 24, 2007

What the Government is Doing

The White House Council on

Women and Girls

Formed by Obama in 2008 to address the barriers that women still face in today’s workforce.

The success of American women is critical for the

success of American families and the American

economy.

Mandate: To promote equality; enhance women’s

economic security; and ensure that women have

the opportunities they need and deserve at every

stage of their live-- from education, to the

workforce, to retirement.

2/4/2013

12

What the Government Is Doing

Promoting workplace flexibility

Investing in child care

Helping women in STEM careers balance work and

family

Supporting new mothers in the workplace

KEEPING AMERICA’S WOMEN MOVING FORWARD: The Key to an Economy Built

to Last

The White House Council on Women and Girls April, 2012

What Can YOU Do?

Sorry gals, there IS no superwoman!

Stop Trying to Do It All

2/4/2013

13

Establish Support Systems

Parenting isn’t just for moms anymore.

Don’t be a “martyr mom.” Establish viable

support system: relatives, babysitters,

neighbors, friends, church, schools.

Employees more productive when they

know everything is okay at home.

“It takes a village to raise a child.” - African proverb

ASK for What You Need

Women have a hard time asking for what they

need (at work and at home): higher salary,

promotion, time off for family, flexible working

hours, help with the kids.

Learn how to negotiate. Women are terrible

negotiators. They pay for it with lost income,

higher stress.

Having decision-making authority at work gives

you more leverage to arrange work-life priorities.

Women Who Display Masculine Traits, Stanford Business School, 2011.

“Don’t Leave Before You Leave”

“Don’t leave before you leave.”

The moment a woman starts

thinking about having a child, she doesn’t raise her hand

anymore.”

“Lean In”(to be published in

2013): Call to action for women

to rise up the ranks of corporate

America.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook

COO

Follow Sheryl Sandberg’s

advice:

Sheryl Sandberg TED Speech: Why We Have Too Few Few Women Leaders,

December 2010

2/4/2013

14

Get to 50-50

Household division of labor needs to be

more equitable when both parents work.

“Make your partner a REAL partner.”-

Sheryl Sandberg

Involve your kids in household chores.

Sheryl Sandberg TED Speech: Why We Have Too Few Few Women Leaders,

December 2010

Set Boundaries between Work &

Home

We live in a 24/7 connected society.

50% of workers are in contact with office outside “normal” work hours 5+ hours/week. Higher in

professions like finance, law, engineering.

U.S. Dept of Labor Statistics, 2011

Get a Mentor. BE a Mentor.

Mentor vs. Sponsor. Mentor is a role-model

who guides in decision-making, offers advice.

Sponsor is a person in power who advocates

on your behalf for pay raise, promotion, career advancement. (“Air cover”)

Join networking groups. Relationships matter (sometimes more than work product). Ol’ boys

network isn’t just for men anymore.

2/4/2013

15

Mentoring Resources for Women in

Science

MentorNet

BrainCake.org

Tech Bridge

Association for Women in Science (AWIS)

Society of Women Engineers

Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM)

Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology

Systers Initiative

Discuss When To Have Kids

48% of babies today

are born to women over

30.

1 in 5 women delay

motherhood till 35. This

number is increasing.

Pregnancy rate for

women 40-44 has

increased steadily since

1991.

National Center for Health Statistics 2010

“40 is the new 20 when it comes to having babies.” - Sociologist Susan Newman

Does It Pay to Delay?

Delaying childbearing

increases future earnings.

20% of women who have

first child btw ages 30-34

net a combined 6-figure

household income.

Children born to older

moms have higher IQs,

better vocabulary.

Once you have a child,

you are less likely to finish

your education.

Family Work Institute 2010

Pros: Cons:

Difficulty conceiving. Chance

of pregnancy:

In your 20s- 50%

chanceIn your 30s-

20% chanceIn your 40s- 5% chance.

Increased risk of genetic

disorders.

IVF is expensive & not

guaranteed. $12-15K per treatment. Women over 40

have a 12% chance of

getting pregnant via IVF.

2/4/2013

16

Understand the Cost of Off-

Ramping

89% of women who leave the workforce for an

extended period (over one year) plan to return.

Only 60% succeed.

Women out of workforce for 1 year lose 13% of

earnings.

Women out for 3 plus years lose 33% earnings.

Families and Work Institute, 2008

Invite Men into the Conversation

Work-life conflict is not just a woman’s problem:

59% of dads say they experience conflict between work and

family life. Families and Work Institute, 2008

Q&A