I learned something new about myself today. Apparently I’m a “career self-agent.” Let me give you some background.  Recently, a study was released from The Simmons School of Management in which the SOM partnered with HP and surveyed 400 professional women about their careers. The study’s most interesting findings were that:
“…more than 90% of women had used flexible work arrangements (FWA) at some point in their careers; 88% of them had used them to remain employed full time. And unlike earlier reports that warned that women who ask for FWAs will experience decreased earning power, the women surveyed who used FWAs did not sacrifice financial success, when compared to those who did not use them. “
In addition, the study’s authors found that:
…the high FWA usage supported their hypotheses that women aren’t “opting out,†but are managing their careers differently. By doing so, women are rejecting an outdated career model that was created for and by the white male managers who were building corporations after World War II. That historical career model, demanding that work be primary in an individual’s life, was founded on the stay-at-home mother and stable organizations and markets. As that foundation has eroded, a new model has emerged where individuals act as “career self-agents,†and negotiate their own terms of employment.”
Well, it’s finally nice to read something about working motherhood that I can really relate to. I negotiated my work schedule after maternity leave. I got a raise on my latest annual review.  I have the model “flexible work arrangement.” What I didn’t know was that there are others like me. I always like to fit in somewhere.
But what I constantly question and what I haven’t experienced yet is the career advancement part of the equation. Will my part-time schedule limit my ability to get ahead? I hope not. So far, everyone I’ve worked with (clients and my colleagues) have been very understanding and conscientious of my schedule. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can achieve the triumvirate of working motherhood. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
Tags: mom friendly companies, working mom, career advancement for mothers, working mother
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Great minds think alike! I wrote about this study in our WMAG blog today. I also questioned the stats about not sacrificing success for the flex. But all power to you, and all flexin’ mamas, who can get ahead!