4 Things Women Leaders Can Do to Challenge the Status Quo
Equity in the workplace begins with equity at home—here’s how one CFO makes it all work.
On International Women’s Day, I did something a little different—I publicly thanked my husband Luke for his unwavering support and partnership in this thing called life. That’s because Luke is an amazing stay-at-home dad and without him, I wouldn’t be living my dream career.
Together, we’ve challenged the status quo that a working mom’s job should be secondary to her husband’s and busted the myth that mothers are best at raising kids. (Please note that I’m writing about my experience in a heterosexual marriage; I recognize that single parents and LGBTQ+ parents face other societal pressures.)
Don’t get me wrong—Luke isn’t a martyr. He hasn’t sacrificed his goals for mine. We made this decision together and it suits our family. Our partnership is an example of the sum being greater than the individual parts.
That said, it’s not always easy. We struggled with the same issues every single-income household does at first. And I still deal with the same guilt, fear, and exhaustion that almost every working mother experiences.
But by flipping the script on traditionally gendered perceptions of work and life, our modern family dynamic provides some valuable lessons to aspiring female business leaders. Here’s what I’ve learned in our journey down this untraditional road.