Work-life balance is a myth and telling young women they “can have it all” is dangerous, female leaders have said.
The opinion was echoed by women from various industries who said the idea of Superwoman “is dead.”
Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of TIAA, a Fortune 500 financial services company, said “work-life balance is a lie.”
He admitted that he only dedicated 30 percent of his time to his children.
“On any given day, I may not feel like the best (mom) when I travel,” she said.
‘There are days when I don’t feel like a great CEO. There are times when I don’t feel like a great daughter. But over time, I am a very good (mother).
Work-life balance is a myth and telling young women they “can have it all” is dangerous, female leaders have said. Samantha Cameron (left), wife of British Prime Minister David Cameron, poses for photographs with Kate Grussin, founder of Sapphire Partners, who told The Guardian it was “dangerous” to promote the idea that women can have it all.
Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of TIAA, a Fortune 500 financial services company, said “work-life balance is a lie.” He admitted that he only dedicated 30 percent of his time to his children.
“And over time, I think I have a purpose as a leader and I’m doing a great job.”
ITV presenter Charlene White said: “If we focus too much on (work-life balance), we constantly live in a state of guilt.”
‘I don’t think about the balance between personal and work life. “I just do the best I can, every day,” he added.
Kate Grussing, founder of Sapphire Partners, told The Guardian it was “dangerous” to promote the idea that women can have it all.
‘Feeding younger women the lie that they can have it all is dangerous. “It is essential that women take off those rose-colored glasses because this myth makes them believe that they are deficient,” she said.
Grussing added that compromises needed to be made, as the different demands of life require different levels of attention.
Kate Daly, co-founder of divorce legal service Amicable, said that “Superwoman, by the comic book definition, is dead.”
“The modern superwoman juggles millions of balls, hoping to drop one.”
Pop star Lily Allen has previously revealed that having children “totally ruined” her career.
‘My children ruined my career. “I love them and they complete me, but in terms of pop stardom, they completely ruined it,” the Smile singer told the Radio Times podcast in March.
“It really bothers me when people say you can have it all because, frankly, you can’t,” the 39-year-old added.
Data from the Fawcett Society showed that around 250,000 mothers in Britain have left work, largely due to childcare challenges.
For those women who continue working after having children, the financial consequences can be serious.
PwC reports that mothers face a 60 per cent reduction in income compared to fathers for ten years after their first child.
And more than 40 per cent of mothers surveyed by the Fawcett Society turned down promotions for fear of the impact on their childcare responsibilities.
