Robin Bradley
There’s an elusive middle ground between power women and caring mums - many women are desperate to find a balance that leaves them satisfied whilst still fulfilling their need to nurture their family.
Despite successfully juggling demands in the home, many mothers feel they would fail at their own business.
But aren’t mothers using all the skills they’d need for business - the art of persuasion, dealing with a wide variety of demands and meeting deadlines? Why are so many women reluctant to rejoin the work force?
New research carried out by Phoenix Trading has looked into what could be putting mums off returning to the workplace. Missing out on time with the kids is cited as the primary reason for not working.
However, the research also revealed that nearly half (48%) of mothers admit they feel envious when they hear success stories of other women with children who’ve successfully started their own businesses.
Mothers still have ambition and yearn for success, but feel that priorities lie with their family.
More than 60% of mothers say they think the ideal work/life balance is the flexibility to work as much or as little as you need to with nearly half agreeing that working from home would be the ideal option.
Mothers want to spend time at home and look after their family, but still desire the independence and challenges that work offers.
40% of mothers answering the survey said that a lack of flexible working conditions was a huge barrier to their decision to not work, with 16% claiming that government red tape was a barrier.
But it’s not just that, 39% said they felt that an absence of affordable childcare was a deciding factor in their choice.
Tagged in Women's Issues