“We work more than previous generations of mothers, and we spend more time parenting our kids.
We are at capacity all the time, even with the trappings of professional flexibility.”
I sighed and set the monitor aside.
I had no choice but to wait till after the call to check on him.
Look at me, I wrote wryly.
I have it all.
I started thinking a lot about having it all after my son was born in late 2021.
I read it hungrily, feeling smug about my own ambivalence toward motherhood.
At 25, I was climbing the career ladder fast and loving it.
Why derail the train with a baby when the ride was so exciting?
Little did I know a global pandemic would abruptly shift that tide.
But I also had a hefty dose of burnout.
For me, it was all too much the constant doing it all.
And I was losing my ambition as a result.
Im not the first millennial mom with an office job to feel this way.
Heck, we now even have themillennial mom midlife crisis.
And then theres theastronomical costof child care.
We are at capacity all the time, even with the trappings of professional flexibility.
I decided to ask Anne-Marie Slaughter what comes next.
The workplace transition isnt over yet.
Slaughter acknowledged that weve made strides toward her envisioned workplace, but were not there yet.
But we havent reached the place where professional and personal ambition can coexist.
Face time is still the reigning tool for performance measurement, and that disadvantages anyone working remotely.
I dont think were there yet.
They are looking for the ability to advance.
They are looking for flexibility and choice in terms of where, when and how they work.
They are looking for companies that authentically prioritize DE&I.
But, quite frankly, she said, companies havent stepped up.
Then when your kids are grown, you could lean back in and keep rising.
I can see it changing; it just hasnt changed yet.
It builds resilience in the workplace.
Embrace a holistic view of ambition.
By whole, I really do mean having different dimensions to your life.
That could be work and family, that could be sports, hobbies, friendships.
She doesnt even use the phrase having it all anymore.
As for our millennial mom midlife crises and waning ambition?
Slaughter advises us all to hang in there.
It is a life passage that many, many, many people go through.
We are maturing into our fuller selves who realize that theres more to life and theres more to ambition.
I have plenty of ambition.
