How To Manage Household Labor And Career Growth As A Working Mom

Working women face a double standard. The pursuit of a prosperous career while managing a household and fulfilling domestic responsibilities leaves women who desire to have both a career and a family with the short end of the stick. Exploring these tips can aid in women having our cake and eating it too.

An article published by the US National Science Foundation shared that research shows that women, of all ages with no children, on average do 10 hours of housework a week before marriage and 17 hours of housework a week after marriage. The same article shares a quote from economist Frank Stanford confirming that “The situation gets worse for women when they have children”. To make things worse, married women with more than three kids recorded an average of about 28 hours of housework a week, while married men with more than three kids logged only about 10 hours of housework a week. The study goes on to clarify the definition of chores as routine housework that people generally do not enjoy doing, such as washing dishes, laundry, vacuuming floors, and dusting.

The data shows that women are carrying the majority of the load, no pun intended, when it comes to domestic chores and child rearing. With such a large gap in equity, how can women manage both household labor and career growth as a working mom, all while trying not to hit our heads on the glass ceiling?

We have all heard the term work-life balance. But what does that really mean? All the self-help gurus say creating boundaries between work and home is a good place to start. But what does that really look like for women who want to build their career and dedicate time to growing a family? For me, that means having a specific time dedicated to work and a specific time dedicated to home. Setting boundaries around when work ends and begins helps me switch from “work” mode with less guilt. Same for home, carving out dedicated time to “home” and family allows me to put my electronic devices away and focus on what is in front of me.

As women, we wear many hats. At times we can forget to take them off and focus on ourselves. A good way to not lose yourself is to maintain a hobby. Research conducted by The Research Moms showed that twenty percent of moms said they put in no effort at all into maintaining a hobby. The reason is cited to be that they simply have other priorities. It is important to remember that hobbies have been shown to reduce depression, anxiety, and elevate disease.

Would you believe me if I told you rest is considered radical? No matter how radical or controversial modern society considers rest to be, it is still very important to practice healthy self-care and receive the appropriate rest, as there are several types.

A study by Dr. Gail Matthews at Dominican University found that individuals who wrote down their goals achieved 42% more of them compared to those who did not write goals down. With so much to juggle while building a career, raising a family, and maintaining a home, writing down your goals cannot only reduce the mental load but also:

• Keep you focused by clarifying what you are actually aiming to achieve
• Reduce distraction by strengthening your commitment
• Track progress
• Boost motivation
• Increases organization
• Builds accountability

It is important to have goals for all aspects of life. Setting goals is not limited. Family, career, romance, and personal life are just a few examples of areas in your life that setting a goal could benefit.

The tireless work toward equality is an uphill battle. Resistance looks like the feminist movement, maternal justice movements, and breaking barriers such as the glass ceiling and the pink tax. Until the day we all have equality, learning how to navigate the obstacles is the best we can do.