10 Empowering Ways To Win As A Working Mom
Working moms are always struggling to find a special balance in their lives.
Working moms are always struggling to find a special balance in their lives. They often have to choose between their children and their work, and when moms find themselves working jobs that don’t support them as mothers, they’re understandably very unhappy. Finding successful ways to raise kids and work full time is more difficult than it needs to be.
We live in a society where work is often seen as more important than family and that choice shouldn’t be made. Female empowerment can happen in the workplace with support and understanding.
Working moms need to be empowered because the working world is stacked against them. Women still make less money than men. Pew Research states that in 2020 women make 84 cents to the dollar of what a man earns. The reason we even have a pay gap between men and women is that women didn’t join the workforce in large numbers until the 1950s and 1960s. Women have been catching up in recent decades but with motherhood, women are more likely to work part-time or take time off to raise kids.
Here are 10 empowering ways to win as a working mom that will hopefully carry over to your personal lives as well. Working moms can and should have it all.
1. Set Work & Home Boundaries
This seems really impossible especially if you’re a single mother, but it’s a must for all working moms. When you are home, you’re home for the day, that should be it. If you have to work at home occasionally set boundaries to never answer emails or calls after a certain time. It’s also important to never interrupt time with your kids for work.
2. Practice Regular Self-Care
Working moms can find empowerment by practicing regular self-care. Unfortunately, the time and the money aren’t always there, and sometimes self-care looks like meditating in bed or watching trashy TV late at night. It’s also ok to selfishly take some time for yourself while you are kids zone out on electronics. If you need time, take some time.
3. Ask For That Raise
This can be a really intimidating thing to do but if you have been with the same company for a certain amount of time and have been doing well, it’s worth the question. A company can’t fire you for asking a question. The build-up to doing it will be worse than the actual experience. All that can happen is they’ll say, “no” but now your job knows that you’re looking for the next step.
4. Have A Rainy Day Fund
If you’re working to make money, you should be able to enjoy some of it. Working moms are of course supporting their families, and we know that there may not be any wiggle room in a budget, however, saving just $3 a week for yourself can really add up and come in handy when you may need it or more importantly, want something.
5. Support Other Women
As women, we can be conditioned to compete with each other. It shouldn’t be that way. Support other women in your workplace the way you would like to be supported even if you didn’t get the same welcome. It can be hard to offer support and kindness if it’s not being returned, however, this is one area where you should take the high road.
6. Search For New Opportunities
There is nothing more empowering than taking hold of your own opportunities. There are a lot of jobs out there at the moment and a lot of industries are changing to allow more remote work. If you’re not happy with where you are, you can take yourself somewhere else. Working moms shouldn’t feel guilty for finding a job that will work better with their lives as moms.
7. Speak Up
You have a voice and should use it. Women who work in male-dominated industries can be mansplained, talked over, or not taken seriously. It’s empowering to say your opinion and be heard. If you’re more introverted, this can be really hard but if you say something, even if it’s small and to a smaller group, it will get easier over time to speak up.
8. Learn To Say ‘No’
A lot of women find themselves saying “yes” to anything their job asks. More hours? Yes. More assignments? Yes. More responsibilities? Sure. Set boundaries for yourself at work by saying, “no” every once in a while. You don’t have to take everything on all at once especially when you’re already balancing a lot.
9. Don’t Feel Guilty
Moms can feel guilty over just about everything. Working moms can feel guilty over working too much or not enough. They’ll feel guilty about not having a clean home because they’re too tired to clean. Guilt for serving frozen pizza. Let it all go and stop feeling guilty about it all.
10. Ask For Help When You Need It
Taking on a lot of work and responsibility is great but burning both ends of the candle isn’t. Empower yourself by knowing what others can handle and asking for help with certain tasks. Knowing your limits is the sign of a great worker and knowing others are capable is what managers need to do.
Source: American Association of University Women, Pew Research, Forbes
