Beyond COVID-19: Why Employers Should Embrace Remote Work
American mothers experience a crushing amount of guilt over work-family conflict.
Sociologist Caitlyn Collins, author of “Making Motherhood Work,” conducted a 5-year study of women in 4 wealthy countries (Sweden, Germany, Italy, and the United States) and found that mothers in the US experienced an overwhelming amount of guilt over family and career.
I didn’t understand this until I had a daughter of my own. She’s almost 11 years old now. Before we had her, my husband and I were both on the fence about wanting a family. We had a good life, good jobs, lots of social activities with friends, and travel. But my main trepidation was that I felt scared to death of what a child would mean for my career. Being driven, career-focused, and ambitious the struggle was real. I had found my calling in edutainment and digital media production. Living in a small town and working for Disney was no small feat. In fact, I managed to secure cool jobs during those childbearing years, and I wanted to keep it that way. In an industry where there were many enthusiastic young people willing to work overtime for less money, how could I juggle family life?
Despite these fears, we decided to go for it when I was nearing the end of my “biological clock”. But after having our child, and being home with her for my maternity leave, something happened. I ha