We're often told through popular culture that as women we can have it all. A happy life with a loving family and a blossoming career - but research suggests that it may in fact be not true.
We shouldn't really have to worry about a choice, should we?
A new survey has revealed that half of women believe that having a baby poses such a risk to their career that they would consider remaining childless.
But the question remains why should there be a choice of one or the other?
The research, from the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), was conducted amongst women of a childbearing age, it found that 67% are concerned about the impact that having children might have on their career. Half of women who don't currently have children feel that their current career doesn't offer them the flexibility they would need to care for a family.
Liz Fraser is the Modern Family Expert for Care.com and she shares her opinions exclusively with us: "Nowadays, many women are feeling a huge amount of pressure to succeed in all areas of their life - not only by being a supportive mum but also having a career, a successful relationship with their partner, their friends and family and to look and feel their best. This is a balancing act, which can take years to perfect. Asking for help, whether that's simply from your partner, a family member or a care professional, is not a sign of weakness and can be the difference between someone struggling along without any time to themselves or living a happy life with a great work/life balance. A recent survey by Care.com revealed that more than four in ten Mums feel like they are never going to get the perfect the balance, whilst 65 per cent even admitted to feeling jealous of other women who seem to 'have it all'."
Maternity leave is also a big factor for working mothers, with almost 40% taking six months or less as maternity leave with financial reasons were cited as the biggest concern and the main cause for returning. What's worrying though, the survey indicates a fear of losing their job as the biggest driver for almost a third of mothers returning to work.
Liz continues: "Realistically, having a child is likely to impact your career in some way, even if just for a very short amount of time when taking maternity leave, away from working life. But what we mustn't assume is that having a baby will grind a successful career to a horrible, irreversible halt, as this is certainly not the case. In fact, many women find themselves becoming even more driven, taking even more career opportunities after having children."
The research found that many women are considering re-training as a way to give them greater flexibility once they are parents. Almost a quarter of women have changed their career after having children, with a further two-thirds saying re-training is something they would consider. The most frequent reason cited was the option to work flexible hours, followed by wanting or needing better pay.
AAT Career Coach, Aimee Bateman, commented: "AAT's findings, whilst sad, are unfortunately not surprising. In my work I have come across a lot of women who worry about balancing their care and career commitments or who have decided to retrain as their current role provides little flexibility. This is a shame as working mums are brilliant employees who can often get more done in less time. This is what is important: the quality of work people produce, not the number of hours that they sit at their desk."
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 42% of working women aged 16-64 work time hours and that in 2013, 72% of mothers were in work. A study by the Fawcett Society in August found that since 2008, almost a million extra women have moved into types of employment that are typically low paid and insecure and that, one in four of all female workers are now classified as on low pay.
Aimee Bateman continued: "While there is obviously an issue in the nation's workplaces, there are options that women can explore. There are careers which can fit around caring needs, including those within the accounting and finance profession."
Liz Fraser added: "One thing to bear in mind though is in order to maintain a successful career after having children, good support and suitable knowledge of how and where to find care solutions is key. A non-judgmental and supportive care solution such as Care.com can not only help mums monitor average childcare costs within their local area, but can also help them to find suitable childcare options and make safer, more informed hiring decisions, leaving them feeling less guilty and more confident with their home life and at work too."
A new qualification can help advance or change careers by helping people learn some of the most in-demand skills in the world, and provide learners with a professional status they can be proud of that is respected and internationally recognised. Former AAT students have also found that taking an AAT course can provide an easier route to managing their care and career commitments.
One former AAT student who can attest to this is AAT member Yvonne Cookson, who runs Mossley Tax Shop. When she and her husband separated she decided to study with AAT to gain a career that would enable her to adequately support her two daughters. In 2008 she set up her own practice, Mossley Tax Shop, and in six years it has grown to have 650 clients throughout the North-West of England. She said: "I would never have thought when I was a single parent so long ago that I would have achieved what I have today. Studying with the AAT has made an extremely positive contribution to improving my life. AAT has given me the flexibility and opportunity to progress by not only gaining my qualifications but also giving me a career that I have been able to make work for me, not the other way round."
Do you think a family gets in the way of a career?
Tagged in Women's Issues