Careers
Claire Pech – Careers Advisor
As we have just had Mothers Day I felt it pertinent to bring the subject of women and careers together. This is a topic that I am interested in and a few years ago, whilst doing some postgraduate studies in careers, I did a research piece on the effect that motherhood has upon a career.
Having looked at a variety of countries that share certain similarities, both economically and from a careers perspective, there developed one universal theme. Looking at the Netherlands (which seemed to have the best balance for genders in the work force), the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and certain parts of Scandinavia, there was a central conclusion to the data. Firstly, the data did show (to no-one’s surprise) that having children has a hugely negative impact on a woman’s career.
Her job opportunities shorten, her salary can shrink, she at times can face discrimination, can be overlooked for promotions, can be awarded less perks and not to mention the pay discrepancy. But the conclusion in dissecting this data was the fact that it was not motherhood per se that caused these negative effects towards her career. It was the propensity for mothers to be more prevalent in part-time work that resulted in these negative implications for her career. When women went from being a full-time employee in the workforce (from all levels) to a part-time employee, a whole bunch of natural effects took place.
If a woman at the age of 35 went back to her career on a part-time basis (not having become a mother), she would also face the same negativities in her experiences. It doesn’t take much to deduce why mothers opt for part-time work, but there is a financial and career pay off for this not to mention a big drop in superannuation earnings. I think this is something that women need to be aware of before they get to that stage in their careers, so that equality in home and career spheres can take precedence.
And now for some women-only-careers events:
Capital W – Women in Business Workshop
Friday, 25 August 9.00 am to 2.00 pm at 1 O’Connell Street, Sydney NSW 2000
This workshop is for Year 11 or 12 female High School students planning a career in business. You will have the chance to chat in person with some of Capital W’s esteemed sponsors, which include: Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Citibank, Commonwealth Bank, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, EY, Goldman Sachs, Macquarie Group, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Westpac Institutional Bank and Woolworths Limited.
The workshop will also explore the different career opportunities available after completing a business degree at UNSW Business School.
www.futurestudents.unsw.edu.au/capital-w-women-business-workshop
Women in STEM
This explores the careers of women STEM leaders who are at the forefront of the industry. The program explores six dynamic female role models and their individual career journeys with companies on the cutting-edge of technological innovation in Australia.
https://dayofstem.com.au/wis.html
Women in Leadership Australia
Women in events and how to boost your career
www.eventmanagerblog.com/women-boost-their-events-career