ITV presenter and TV presenter Charlene White says women need to stop striving for work-life balance to avoid living in guilt.
“A lot of parents, especially women, are told to think about work-life balance, when in fact, if we focus too much on it, we're constantly living in guilt,” said the Loose Women host and mom. Two. “I don't think about work-life balance. I do my best every day. “
His comments come after Fortune 500 financial services company president and CEO Dasunda Brown Duckett. TIAA said that “work-life balance is a lie” and that she gives her children 30% of her time.
“Like your money, if you live your life as a diversified portfolio, you'll do better over time,” said Duckett, who runs a $45 billion-a-year financial institution. “On any given day, I may not feel like the best mom. There are days when I don't feel like I'm a great CEO. But over time, I became a better mom. In time, I believe I am doing a better job.
Kate Grussing, founder and managing director of recruitment firm Sapphire Partners, agrees. “Feeding young women is dangerous. Women need to take off those rose-colored glasses because that myth makes women believe they are flawed,” she said.
“You have to make trade-offs when different areas of your life require more attention at different times,” said Cruising, who worked in corporate finance at Morgan Stanley and as a strategy consultant at McKinsey and JP Morgan.
Ruth Handcock, chief executive of financial advisory firm Octopus Money, also criticized the idea that women should strive for work-life balance. “It should be seen as a continuum of giving and receiving both ways, rather than a strict division,” he said.
“Being a good mother and a good professional involves redefining 'good' in the context of your life and your family. “You should focus on personal satisfaction rather than meeting external standards,” he said. “You have to let go of external expectations. Ask yourself if your children are happy and if your business is doing well. Yes? Okay, end of discussion.”
Kate Daly, co-founder of Divorce Legal Services and host of The Divorce Podcast, agreed: “Superwoman in the comic book sense is dead,” she said. “The modern-day superwoman juggles millions of balls, with every expectation that she'll drop a few.”
Rebekah Capon, executive director of entrepreneurial charity Hatch Enterprise, forgot to top up her son's lunch card last week due to workload. “But I'm not going to feel guilty about him not being able to eat lunch,” she said. “We all have pressure as women, but we have to forgive ourselves and understand that we're not going to be everything all the time.”
Louise Oliver, president of the British Women's Entrepreneurs Association, says she has never met a parent who felt their work-life balance was in order – until they were both old enough to form a team around them at home. And at work.
“I sent my children to nursery when they were three months old. I'm 60 years old and I still feel guilty because I don't get that time with them back,” she said.
But, Oliver asked, what does it mean to “have all things”? “In the long run, you want to feel good at work, you want your kids to be healthy and happy, and you want to be in a happy marriage,” she said. “But you can't do it all at once.”
Emma Sinclair, at 29, is the youngest person in the UK to take a company public. “The whole concept of work-life balance is negative. Most of the important elements in our lives, most of the time the best we can hope for is to do the best we can.
Rachel Barton, Accenture's managing director, said there is now more pressure to achieve work-life balance because, she said, “the world is very short-term and there is a culture of 'I want things now'.
“People need to put less pressure on these short moments and, instead, play the long game – knowing what they're trying to build and where they're trying to go,” he said.
Elliott Ray, author of the best-selling book DAD and founder of the online Dads' Music Football Fatherhood, said: “Many men today are moving away from outdated ideas of what it means to be a successful man and father,” he said. “There are relationships where you can hold everything together: if you can communicate and share responsibilities.”
