TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 15 March 2023 - 10:38 AM, said:
Mezla PigDog, on 15 March 2023 - 07:36 AM, said:
Messing with my groove is that I am seriously feeling the pinch of parenting on my career development. It's extremely irritating. I have felt it over the last few years but it didn't bother me so much but now I'm getting frustrated. It boils down to not being able to travel a lot and speak at conferences and do extra work for professional associations. I guess it is bothering me now because previously the person who was utilising my work to build their name was a woman senior to me who was very generous with my work / life balance in return and always made sure I got the credit I was due. She left the business and has been replaced by a man who is dumping all the work on me, sucking up my knowledge and experience and making it his own externally. I can't not let him have access to my work as it would be unprofessional but I am seriously tempted to start being a bitch.
I need to keep sucking it up until my son is a bit older but it's so frustrating.
A friend of mine has hit this point with her job too. Their first child was 2 yesterday and they are trying to plan timing wise for a second. She's a solicitor and last time we talked I think she's considering leaving law altogether because she feels so punished for having a family in terms of current progression and likelihood of it in future. Success seems to be measured by having no life outside of work and the hours you work reflecting such. Another left academia altogether because she said there was no point trying to remain in it once she'd had two rounds of maternity leave when all they'll do is pay fresh PHD students less than her to do the role. I've really had my eyes opened the last few years by friends with children to just how punitive having a family can be on a career, I confess I wildly underestimated it.
I really hope you can find a solution where you get the credit you deserve (and curse his name in as many tongues as possible in the meantime!).
Advice I would give to your friends: The one who is a solicitor - have the second baby whenever she wants and ride out any shitty behaviour by the current employer, so long as it is tolerable, milk them for maternity leave pay etc. Then move on when the kids are at a more manageable age if the company hasn't improved it's approach. My son is 7 soon and I can see it on the horizon. Two years old is nothing - she is in survival territory right now and just has to keep her head above water. She may have to wait longer if she has more than one kid though.
The friend who got out of academia did the right thing. There are not many sectors for people with significant volumes of qualifications that treat women with kids worse.
I have to say that I am lucky. My company is really good to me in terms of internal progression. I've been promoted twice since maternity leave. I'm thinking of my next career step outside this company and if I don't improve my external profile, I won't get as big a step as I could. It's irritating watching mostly men swanning around the speaking circuit and knowing they probably have a woman at home holding the fort with the kids and they don't need to give a second thought to the career advantage they have. Mr PigDog does his fair share but I'd have to be away overnight a few times a month and working weekends and evenings more often to keep up. And I consider myself lucky!!

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