Motherhood and Career Could Be A Conflict

Being a mother, having a child and career could be a conflict but it doesn’t have to be the case. 

Let’s not kid ourselves if you have offspring, you have a loyalty conflict. Job and family? Sure, that can be balanced. But still, the fact remains that you will have to divide up your time and forces in the future. First of all, it does not matter whether you make this division by the hour, by the day, or by weeks. But always and everywhere, giving 100 percent for your career and 100 percent for your child at the same time – that doesn’t work.

Best Tips For Balancing Motherhood and Work

Focus

So your life will change. But don’t make a problem of it. Parenthood is nice when you enjoy it. This is good for your child and good for yourself. Enjoyment begins with the fact that you consciously focus on it in the time that you spend with your son or daughter. If you’re constantly checking emails or talking to the boss on the phone, you might as well stay in the office.

But the reverse also applies. If you work, then do it properly – fully concentrated and completely on the job. If you sit in the office and at the same time have to worry about whether your offspring will be well looked after, or if you even have a guilty conscience because you’re not with your child, your job is only worth half.

Perhaps this is the hardest part of reconciling family and work: getting involved in one and the other without compromising. No ifs or buts: time for the child is time for the child. Working time is working time. And both are your lives, which you should deal with carefully and responsibly.

So you will need to focus. Working moms with office setups at home can give at least 80% of their time to both their job and their child. This explains while more and more working moms prefer working remotely. With a complete office setup at home, a computer, a good internet connection, and a reliable printer, you can work in the comfort of your home and be at your best in both worlds.

The state gives you opportunities

Legislators make it easier for you to face this difficult challenge. Parental leave and parental allowance give you legal and financial opportunities to devote yourself fully to your child for several years and then return to your job – or to work part-time and thus balance your family and your job.

Given your career plans, is it advisable to seize this opportunity? To be honest, this can only be answered individually. There are still managers who resent it when a woman or a man takes parental leave. Is yours one of them? Probably he would never admit it out loud. Because even in such a company, the legal requirements must of course be met. But nevertheless, the career suffers a kink there.

Unfortunately, this is especially true for women who work part-time because of their motherhood. More than half of them believe they are at a disadvantage compared to full-time employees, according to a StepStone study. Almost every second female specialist and the manager say that parental leave has damaged her career. Most men, on the other hand, do not perceive any disadvantage from parental leave.

If you take parental leave, you prove that your job is not the only important thing to you. In addition, you show that you are replaceable – at least for a while. But if we are honest with ourselves, then we know that basically everyone in a commercial enterprise has to be replaced – no matter how important they take themselves. As a mother or father, however, you are truly unique. The role that you play for your child as a parent cannot be taken over by anyone else.

So don’t be afraid to show the courage to leave gaps when it comes to your job. Managers who deserve this name can deal with the issue of parental leave and the desire of their employees for a good work-life balance in a relaxed manner and will not put any obstacles in your way when you return.

Responsible parents are valuable workers

In addition, many employers recognize that parents in particular are valuable employees who face their responsibility as mothers or fathers. After all, well-organized parental leave is proof of a realistic, pragmatic approach that relies on feasible solutions in the face of completely natural challenges in life.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, 79 percent of fathers and 68 percent of mothers would like more time for children and family. It applies to all of them that they are only really satisfied at work if they can also be satisfied with their family life. This in turn means that employers who give their employees enough space for a fully fulfilled life are optimally positioned in the competition for the best minds.