By: Krystle Crossman
healthyblackwoman.com
Leaning In is a concept that was developed by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. It is a concept where women “lean in” to the business world and really take charge of their careers. Many women have stepped up to the challenge and furthered their careers in ways that they never could have imagined. There are still so many women however that will not take that step. There is just one little thing that makes them hesitant to go for what they really want in their careers.
A new study from David Pedulla and Sarah Thebaud asked a group of men and women who were not married and did not have children about their futures. They asked them what they wanted their future relationships and careers to be like and what they would want them to be like if there were improved policies in workplaces that would help with the family/work balance. Out of the women who were asked about their futures in general, 65 percent stated that they would like a relationship in the future where both parties worked and were equal. When asked about improved policies in the workplace to help with childcare while on their career path that number jumped to 95 percent.
Thebaud explained that if more corporations would come up with policies such as childcare help, parental time off, and flexible scheduling more women would be moving up the ranks in the workforce and more men would be taking care of the children. Society still has the notion that women are supposed to stay home and take care of the family even though so many women have moved into the workplace. This makes it harder for women to move up in ranks in a company because the scheduling is often very rigid and does not allow the mother to balance out time between her family and her job.
There are other countries in the world that have these kinds of policies already put into place, such as Sweden, where everyone seems to be quite happy with the arrangement. Family is very important to women but if they had the chance to get that balance they would certainly take their place in the workforce as well.
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