Why More Women Don’t Lead and Innovate - Transforming Your STEM Career Through Leadership and Innovation - page 44

finding is that women in paid employment generally spend more hours per day on
household duties than do their male counterparts [12] . In academia, public, and
private industry both women and men identify family responsibilities as a pos-
sible barrier to advancement; however, women are affected differently than men
by this “family penalty.” [13] Although both women and men feel that having a
family hinders their success at work, women are more likely than men to report
foregoing marriage or children and delaying having children in the path to career
advancement. As tradition would dictate, the study showed among women and
men with families that women are more likely to report they are the primary care-
givers as well as having a greater likelihood of having a partner that also works
full time. As a result of this situation women can find themselves overwhelmed by
career and family issues, thereby increasing the likelihood of leaving the STEM
career and reducing the likelihood of pursuing leadership opportunities.
In their article “Women at the Top” researchers Cheung and Halpern [14]
offer a cross-cultural model for women in leadership that is applicable to the
current culture of gender with promise for creating environments where women
can simultaneously thrive in career and family life. This model includes: (a)
relationship-oriented leadership traits for women, (b) the importance of team-
work and consensus building at home and work, and (c) an effective work-
family interface that women with “family care” responsibilities can create and
use to break through the glass ceiling.
The support and cooperation of the immediate family members often deter-
mine the level of success a woman achieves as a leader. Will your family be
neglected when you embark on your journey? Depending on what your definition
of “neglect” is, they may be neglected or suffer less than “optimal” outcomes in
some areas. You may not be able to go on class field trips, lead the Parent Teacher
Association (PTA), or be home every evening for a sit-down dinner. However,
with a supportive network, communication, and planning (short term and long
term), it is possible to have a successful family life and career. Figure 3.2 pro-
vides an overview of this model that is proposed by Cheung and Halpern [14] .
As you consider the impact of family on your career ambitions, this overview
can be a useful resource to establish your plan - the essence here is to “plan.”
While we're usually equally happy to have a bundle of joy the moment it arrives,
whether it's planned or not, a thoughtful, well-planned strategy goes a long way
in reducing long-term family and work stress. Family planning is an intensely
personal, value-based activity and there is no one way to do it. Obviously, it can
work out well under a variety of circumstances. The objective in planning should
be to fulfill the personal vision that you have for your life while sustaining the
career vision. This strategy should take into consideration objective factors such
as your biological clock, finances, resources and family support. Additionally,
factors such as phase of your career, availability for downtime, and organizational
climate should be evaluated. Finally, don't neglect to take into consideration the
time that you will need to do all activities and stay healthy. The time you will need
as a parent and leader to recover, refresh, and re-engage throughout your career.