“I always say 'nobody died’ and then try and get on with it. Women are natural multi-taskers so we tend to think we can 'do-it-all'. In my experience, something has gotta give” Lorraine Keane, well-known Irish broadcaster, is this week's interviewee in the Office Mum interview series. In her capacity as Microsoft Ambassador, she is chatting about family life and ...
A thought provoking piece appeared in the Independent this week by Miriam Donahue, recounting how she once broke the glass ceiling but then handed back her promotion in favour of having time with her family. She makes very good points about quotas, about women in politics and women on air. I too believe that at least ...
Mothers: what is the solution? With working outside the home I mean, and the attempts to balance. I have never met a mother with whom I haven't had this conversation - the one about work. All of the below conversations took place over a two week period, just a typical fortnight of interactions: "So you work outside the ...
“ Late night in front of the TV with a glass of wine is often where I get my best work done...and don't ask about cleaning, laundry or grocery shopping... that just happens on an as needed basis!” This week in the Office Mum interview series, I meet Nicola Finnerty, who is a Qualitative Researcher for ...
"I think once you become a parent, guilt is inevitable" "I often feel like I am present physically but trying to work on something myself while doing homework/cooking dinner etc. I feel like I may be around my children a lot of the ...
The perpetuation of so-called mummy-wars assumes that there is a distinct split between just two types of mothers: those who go out to work in paid employment and those who stay at home with their children. Black and White. Opposite ends of the spectrum. Apparently. And it has reared it's head again this week, with the term ...
Is there really a glass ceiling for women in the workplace? Or is it for the most part, something experienced by mothers in the workplace? I realise that this is a controversial question but I’m genuinely interested to know if there are people reading who have been held back in the workplace simply because of being female. In my own experience ...
This is how homework goes in our house: Me: Clara please can you come and start your homework Clara: (silence) Me: Please, come on, we need to get started Clara: In a minute mum Multiply this and various other responses by well, a lot, and fast forward to half an hour later, when we finally get to opening some worksheets. Me: ...
Working mothers are being put on the “mommy track” according to an article in the Independent last week. We have so many terms to learn all the time it’s hard to keep up – for anyone who is not familiar with it, “mommy track” refers to the sidelining of mothers in the workplace. Assumptions being made by ...
So, you need to find a complete stranger to come into your house and be solely responsible for your children while you're not there. Scary stuff. Looking for a childminder (or nanny to use the more correct term) can be a very daunting challenge. When I was starting to think about this, a good and wise ...