A seminal text among the working women of the western world, Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, still rings true the importance of advocating for yourself as a woman and mother in the workplace in order to achieve success in a man’s world. What has changed, however, is the singular capitalistic end goal of ‘earn as much money as possible’ in order to feel successful. Sheryl’s angle was never ‘work yourself to death’ but was certainly ‘push to be the best you can be and be the top dog in the room’.
Following the pandemic, which exposed cracks in family life for some women and opportunities to finally get more time with children for others, there are swathes of high-powered working women doing the opposite of what they have been told throughout their careers – now favouring less working hours, lowering their salaries and spending more time with their children or at home for their own balance.
Just because some women have broken through the glass ceiling, doesn’t mean they will choose to stay above the shards at the cost of their work/life balance.
