Last Updated on December 4, 2020 by Jessica Adams
The world we live in today has become more understanding and flexible to many (but not all!) career women, with regards to balancing motherhood. After generations of protesting and striking, women are seeing subtle but important changes in the workplace. These changes are being made as you balance motherhood and your career.
While having a child is, of course, the most incredible thing anyone can ever do (my opinion), in terms of our careers… it can set us back a little! Regardless of what your career is, most mothers (parents) will need/want to take time off to have their baby.
They’ll need to recover and look after their newborn, at least until they’re comfortable with utilizing childcare. Here are some ways you can balance motherhood and your career, helping to make sure that you raise a happy family while still achieving your goals.
How to Balance
Motherhood and Your Career
Split Childcare Duties With Your Partner
Instead of taking a significant period of time off work after having a baby, is there a way that you or your partner can work things so that you’re splitting the duties?
Perhaps both parents could work part-time and cover for each other when the other is working? You’d still be bringing one full-time income while both parents get a chance to care for and raise your baby.
In some cases, this can be the ideal solution as it’s fair, you’d both able to keep your skills up at work and get equal amounts of time with your little one.
Also, there’s a good chance that since each parent would still be able to work part-time, each could keep their health insurance through their job.
(Try to) Put Off Having Kids Until Later
The more established you are in your career, the better the argument for returning to work after having a baby. Your job is less at risk due to your experience and knowledge. There’s also a good chance that the position is harder to fill.
Once you’ve had a baby, you might find that you want to have more time off than you realized. This is completely normal as many women only return on a part-time basis.
These choices can make advancing in your career potentially difficult down the line. It’s definitely worth aiming to advance before you start your family.
Find a Flexible Work Situation
Juggling kids and a career is always going to be tricky. If your job is set with very specific hours, getting your baby into childcare and yourself out of the door on time every day can be a struggle.
Then if they’re unwell or you have appointments to attend, you have to negotiate time off at the last minute, which won’t always go down well. Instead, you may want to look into more flexible work.
Some flexible ideas include starting your own business. When you’re the boss, you can work the hours you choose, which makes earning money easier around your motherhood commitments. You could also have a website designed and work with a digital advertising agency to help build it up.
When In Doubt, Look Into Remote Jobs
Home-based job roles were a fantasy not too long ago but in recent years, most everybody knows someone who works a remote job! Each day you’ll have a certain amount and deadline for your work, not so different from a job at the office.
The main difference is that it’s up to you how you go about planning your day and getting your work done. This is ideal for working parents who may need to get some sleep when their baby does. You can also get your baby to a doctor’s appointment or attend a baby ‘tumbling’ class together.
Or have lunch with a fellow parent while your babies enjoy a ‘playdate’ or see an old friend for a yoga class then make up the time later on, once the baby is in bed. It’s definitely something to look into if you want to continue working and earning a steady income, while home with your little one.
How do you go about balancing motherhood (or parenthood) and your career? Please let us know in the comments below!
Jessica Rose Adams
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