Women in Business

In recent years society has encouraged women into believing that they can have it all; stellar career, motherhood, fantastic relationship, whirlwind social life.  Oh and not to mention, we are also made to feel like lesser beings if we are not practising yoga, recycling, embracing our inner goddess and growing our own vegetables.  However, any woman balancing these things in their life will tell you that ‘having it all’ takes a lot out of you. 
The incidence of obesity and heart disease amongst women is higher than ever. Women are drinking more than they ever have, smoking too much, not exercising enough and sleeping too little.  Although there are trends towards cooking at home more, on average women cook less and eat far less fresh food than their mothers and grandmothers did.  There are also studies showing that women are more miserable than they ever have been.  So much for having it all!
However slowly the ‘have it all’ generation is being taken over by women who are actively choosing not to have it all, or more accurately not to have it all at once.
A recent study by the Australian Institute found that women account for up to 80% of the “hidden unemployed”.  The term “unemployed” refers to people ready to start work within the week, whilst “hidden unemployed” refers to people willing and able to start work within a month.  In terms of “unemployment statistics” this means that there a lot of people, not accounted for in official statistics who are not working, but would like to be working.  If the “hidden unemployed” were taken into official statistics the unemployment rate in Australia would be three times higher.
Whilst these statistics in themselves are poignant in terms of assessing where we really are in terms of the ‘global recession’, what is also interesting to consider is why so many women who are interested in working, are not.  According to ACTU president, Sharan Burrow, the reason is that most of these women are involved in caring duties and their ability to drop these responsibilities and return to the workforce is restricted.  Access to childcare is nominated by women as one of the key  reasons they are not in full-time employment.
However, many women are not just choosing to be “unemployed” because it is difficult to drop everything and return to the workforce.  Rather women are choosing to enter part-time employment in jobs they are over-qualified for or take a break from their careers altogether, because “having it all” is so difficult. 
Melbourne mother Shelley Thomas, a trained counsellor, has chosen to work part-time in a lower-paid clerical job so she has more time with her 11-year-old daughter, Camille. “I work at a school because it fits in with my daughter’s schedule and I get school holidays off to be with her,” Ms Thomas said yesterday. “I made the decision to be available to her, rather than to pursue my career at the moment. “It’s a calculated compromise I’ve made to earn less—you don’t choose to have a child so you can put them into care a lot.” (www.careerone.com.au)
What is difficult for many women however is that they don’t just work because they have to, they work because they have things to give, things they enjoy giving.  So whilst ‘not having it all’ can reduce stress levels and give you more time with your loved ones, not working, or not using your brain in creative ways that challenge you, can lead to frustration and even depression for many women.
Another option many women are discovering is owning and managing their own home-based business.  In Australia there are almost 1 million (Aug 2009) home based businesses and women are increasingly being drawn to this type of employment.  The home based business is a perfect fit for women.  It is an ideal avenue for women looking to utilise the skills and experiences they gained before starting a family whilst still having the flexibility to be there for their family. 
As a small business owner myself (and mother of four) I can testify to the fact the owning and managing your own, home-based business does present challenges, but there is hardly a day that goes by that I am not grateful that I have that flexibility in my life.  I am fitter, healthier and happier than I have ever been.  I am also very involved with my children whilst devoting significant amounts of time to work.  Do I have it all?  Well I am not so sure what that even means but I know I have enough to live the way I want to live, I don’t feel stressed and I am there for all the things I need to be there for.
If you need further evidence that women are turning to their own businesses for employment, do a quick search of the Internet for resources for women in business.  There are some great sites out there that you can go to, to begin your research into this option, including www.herbusinessblog.com; www.womensnetwork.com.au and www.womeninbusiness.com.au
If you have a story about your own experience as a ‘woman in business’ share it with us by emailing me at christine@aawep.com.au