I read two interesting articles today I thought were worthy of sharing. The first one is called “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” and has become a very popular and widely read article in the last week. It is written by Anne-Marie Slaughter who “describes her own experience of stepping down from a high-level State Department position to teach at Princeton and spend more time with her children. In the process, she came to an uncomfortable realization: No matter what well-meaning feminists might say, women really can’t have it all. ‘Not today,’ she writes, ‘not with the way America’s economy and society are currently structured.'” The article is *super* long, but a good read nevertheless: http://m.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-can-8217-t-have-it-all/9020/1/
The second one is entitled “Why There’s No Such Thing as ‘Having It All’ – and There Never Will Be” and is a (much shorter) response to the first article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/06/why-theres-no-such-thing-as-having-it-all-and-there-never-will-be/258928/ If you don’t have time to read the first article, you could probably just read this one and get a fairly good gist of what the first article is about.
If you are further interested in the subject of mothers balancing careers and family from a Christian/biblical perspective, my friend Sarah did a blog series entitled “passionate, joyful homemaking,” in which she writes on such topics as “should moms pursue a career?” and “God’s creation of a mother’s role.” I’ve read the whole series and while I don’t necessarily agree with everything she wrote, she does have great insight and I found the posts thought provoking.
This subject is certainly one worth discussing and I’d love to get feedback on any or all of the above material…
I read both the article, and the blog by your friend Sarah. I have been a stay-at-home mom (for 8 years), and am currently a working mom. I wish that we always had a choice, but there came a time for our family when the stress of trying to make it on one income began out-weigh the benefits. We all have to make tough choices, and today’s world with the extra stresses it provides (many thanks to technology’s curses and blessings) puts us in tough positions. I think it is critical to be home with your kids in the younger years if possible.
I quickly learned as a new college graduate and mom of one, that the idea of “having it all” is a total myth. When we have to manage homes, parent, be a wife, and then have a career too, we can’t do it all well-that’s the reality. However, when forced to work due to circumstances, we also have to try to create that work-family balance in order to be an example of Christ in our workplace and do a good job, while being the best wife, mom, and homemaker possible. It is exhausting, and I personally look forward to the day when I am either provided the opportunity to change my working situation or reach the other side of the child-rearing years, when the constant struggle is finally reduced. Until then I live with the prayer that I can “thrive, not just survive” and that my kids and husband know that they are my first priority after God. His grace is sufficient for whatever He calls us to do, and if we are living in the will of God–not under the constraints of expectations from one extreme or the other–then He will bless our homes and families. I have seen that time and again, and I believe that the little choices we make daily, in the example we set for our kids by living out the gospel, will have eternal benefits.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience Rebecca! You have great thoughts and I enjoyed reading your insight. As of late, I have been really interested in the subject of biblical manhood and womanhood and am hoping to do more research and dig deeper on the topic in the near future. I definitely plan to write more on the subject and would love to hear more from you!