Apr 19, 2019
When mothers give up work they don't just lose their current
salary, but their future earnings growth and the benefits they
would've accrued over their career.
Kathryn Sollmann is a US-based career coach and author of Ambition
Redefined, Why the Corner Office Doesn't Work for Every
Woman & What to Do Instead.
She advocates for staying in work once you've had children even if
you think childcare expenses mean you think you can't.
Kathryn recognises that the examples of women in leadership roles
are not appealing or realistic for most women's lives. The
huge job managing hundreds of people on a vast salary will
invariably mean you have little time for other things - like
children and family. But as she explains in her book success isn't
about a certain job title, it's about finding the flexibility that
means you can be home nursing a sick child or ageing parent at 2pm
or in the office to lead a big meeting at 7am.
She says women can have substantial careers but they have to do a professional pitch for flexibility. Doing this works 80% of the time. Not doing it, often results in rejection.
Kathryn Sollmann's book: Ambition Redefined
https://www.amazon.com/Ambition-Redefined-Corner-Office-Instead/dp/1473679095
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynsollmann/
Books4Emmeline:Reach Out by Molly Beck
http://mollybeck.co/reachout
Other resources:
Kathryn talks about the hidden cost of not returning to work.
Here's more on that and a handy calculator in the link so you can
see how much you'd lose out.
https://www.kathrynsollmann.com/do-the-right-math-cost-of-childcare-vs-staying-home/
The Center for American Progress
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/reports/2019/03/28/467488/child-care-crisis-keeping-women-workforce/