Somewhere in the passage of time, Western women began getting the message that they could have it all — an advanced education, a thriving career, and a fulfilling role as "Super Mom!" With that in mind, women expanded into the working world over the past few decades, often treading against a traditionally minded, work-heavy, self-sacrificing mentality of how business should be conducted.
It seems fair to say that over the years, we started figuring out that "having it all" was a relative term, since many of us found that to have one aspect of it all, you had to sacrifice something from the others. Nothing got 100 percent, but somehow, many women managed to give 200 percent of themselves to all of their various roles, without saving anything for themselves. For some, this was fulfillment, but for others, it was just plain exhausting. "Having it all" became a term that had to be defined by each individual in terms of what it meant and how it was achieved.
So, where do we stand today? Fortunately, it does seem that society has moved forward with us, evidenced by the increase of "family-friendly" polices and workplaces geared to both men and women. From the outside looking in, the American workforce seems to be finding some middle ground between success on the job and what's necessary for creating a stable and healthy family life.
To those on the inside looking out, however, there may be room left to argue that not everyone is on board with the idea of a balanced work-life philosophy on the job. Even though research has shown that employees who are allowed flexibility around their personal and family needs are actually more productive, there are many employers out there who still either don't get it, or perhaps just don't care. We may have come a long way, baby, but there's still a lot of road to travel.
So, what's a girl to do? There are women out there who are CEOs of major corporations, earning big bucks and pretty much running the show…and they have kids and husbands. If you ever get the chance, though, pull one aside and ask her how much time she gets to spend with her family in an average work week and who is actually at home raising her kids. Chances are it's not her, but the nanny, the husband, the neighbor, or the in-laws. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it's probably fair to say that super duper success in the modern working world still requires long hours and hard work. That's just the way it is. If you want to rule the world, you're going to have to give something up on the home front.
Interestingly enough, there's been enough research done now to show that neither going to a job nor working from home has a more negative or positive effect on how your children may turn out. Lots of women head off to work with their kids in their various places, be it preschool, daycare, or school and they turn out just fine. The real predictors in achieving a healthy outcome when it comes to raising kids is less about where you work and more about how you parent. The basics are what matters — how attached you are to your kids, how well you communicate with them, how consistent you are, and how you work with them to solve problems and celebrate successes. Some people may feel you can't do any of these things if you hold down an office job, but others have proven that as long as you're on the ball when you get home (and your kids aren't where they shouldn't be when you're at work), then you can have just as much success as a stay-at-home mom…or dad, or grandparent.
So, with research backing whatever we choose to do as long as our parenting choices are good, why does it still break the hearts of new mothers everywhere when they have to wave goodbye to little Bobby or Suzi and head back to the office? (C'mon, if you can't answer that…) If the truth be known, there are a whole lot of women who just want to be with their kids, but make choices about working that aren't always about self-fulfillment, but rather about financial necessities. And believe it or not, those who choose to work still face bias and judgment from others based on their choices…they're either selfish mothers, or inefficient workers. What's truly scary is that some of the most vicious critics in both the workplace and at home are other women!
Whatever a mom decides to do, here's some astonishing data: the latest census showed that 54 percent of college-educated women chose to stay home to raise their children, rather than return to work. That's more than half of degree-bearing women, who are probably sporting a student loan or two, choosing to stay home rather than head off to an office every day. That's a whole lot of smart women! This doesn't mean they aren't earning money, though. With everything we've learned through research about child rearing, family friendly workplaces, and "having it all," these women are now at the forefront of an emerging new workforce — the "stay-at-home-but-run-your-own-business mom."
Not everyone is doing it, but there are a lot more than there used to be, due largely to the advent of the Internet and the booming e-commerce industry. From the Avon rep next door to the woman running an engineering consulting firm from home, there are a bunch of moms out there who are figuring out a whole new way to define "having it all," and by doing so, may just be getting a little bit more of it all than they did when they worked a 9-to-5 office job.
Easy? Hardly. Liberating. Yes.
Motivated by both the financial payoff and the ability to raise their children as they see fit, smart women are figuring it out.
Working Moms 
