Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo once jokingly said on her personal life that she has told her husband in no uncertain terms that her priority list works as “1. PepsiCo. 2. PepsiCo and then her husband.”
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Work life balance for women is difficult when you have higher aspirations in life, and your success goals become a priority over aspects in life. You may want to be there for your partner’s birthday, but the client meeting may be a great opportunity for your organization.
While women may have to take on more roles, they are also better at multitasking.
Here are some ways to live a more balanced life.
The foremost important thing is to accept that work-life balance is not only a gender issue. It affects all business persons and leaders. Youtube CEO Susan Wojcicki asks why are men not asked this question. Why are they not asked, “So you are a CEO and you have kids? How do you do it?” She called out the discrimination in this one query.
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This is not a strong opinion, loosely held. This is a general opinion held among all successful business people. Women face just as many work-life balance issues as men. Somehow, they are expected to solve them differently.
Another important necessity is to be flexible with schedules. Adaptability to a situation is a key to managing time. According to Jessica Jackley, cofounder of microfinance institution Kiva, “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.”
Working women should also not hesitate in seeking help. Often their multiple roles become too demanding, and take a toll on health or performance at work. At such time, there is no harm in getting a hired help or seeking support from family and friends.
Women should also be aware of their rights and work policies to facilitate work-life balance. Like Larissa Waters in Australia, who breast fed her baby while passing a motion in the Senate, business women can do both, work and nurture children, at the same time.
This social notion that careerist women do not make good partners need to change. And that will happen only when we look at them as ordinary human beings, not as the weaker gender.
