Where are the Women?
Long airplane flights offer me much opportunity to catch up on past reading. For this flight, I brought along about eight magazines that have been cluttering up my office at home.
One of the more interesting was an older issue (two months gone by I suspect) of Fast Company that discussed Where Are the Women? The focus of the article was about the progress, or lack thereof, that women had made moving into the top levels of corporate America.
The more interesting parts of the article were about the women who had reached the upper levels of corporation management only to walk away because the price wasn’t worth it. This is something that I’ve thought about a lot lately.
I have a good friend back in Cleveland who was on the fast-track to a senior leadership position at my employer. She also had two small children at home. Out of the blue, she took a leave of absence – which led to a resignation – in order to spend more time at home. As of the last time we spoke, she still wasn’t working.
And I’m not sure that I blame her.
As things exist today, I am up at 5am, at a work location by 6:30a or 7:00am (it’s a 90 minute drive most days each way, sometimes longer) - I spent 8-9 hours at that location, and then drive home. I get around 20 phone calls daily – with 2-3 of them being after normal business hours (my work location has 24 hour operations and things do happen after hours) - and then 2-3 calls per day on the weekend. Add another 500 or so emails each week and an out of town travel strip every 2-3 weeks, and things add up quickly.
I don’t have children, so this workload is doable – but sometimes I wonder to what purpose?
The promotion that I have been striving for will come at some point – and then I’ll be on the road overnight 3-4 days a week in most cases. While I would enjoy the professional challenge, I wonder if the sacrifice for the additional money and prestige is worth it.
No, I’m not leaving, and no, I’m not removing myself from the rat race. This article just threw some deep thoughts my way that I’m chewing through, as usual.
February 24th, 2004 at 10:37 am
– I get around 20 phone calls daily – with 2-3 of them being after normal business hours –
Um, RIGHT. Two or three? Things must have really slowed down since the last time we went out for a drink.
– I don’t have children, so this workload is doable – but sometimes I wonder to what purpose? –
Also consider how much of this is self-fulfilling. (Not that you haven’t…I know you have.) With a workload like that, who has time to develop a relationship, never mind one that would result in children? I’d like to think that the kind of woman you’d want to be with would be one that liked you for YOU, and not the trappings of you. But if she likes you for you, but then there’s no you around…
Maybe things will get easier as you move up the ladder…maybe you’ll get fewer after-hours calls, have fewer all-consuming travels, and have more time for living, rather than working. It is something to look forward to. And since you’re still young(ish), you’ll still be able to woo women of child-bearing age.