Contents
What Does It Take to Be a Leader?
Balancing Work and Family
Women Meeting the Challenge: A Handbook for Media Leadership
Balancing Work and Family
|
|
According to an IWMF study conducted in 1996, African woman journalists place balancing work and family life as the greatest challenge they face. Women managers often work hard both in the office and at home. This balancing act can create a great deal of stress, draining their energy and their creative powers. Any leadership tool must address the techniques for balancing those often divergent priorities and help women reduce the stress levels in their lives.
Jerusha Arothe-Vaughan, of InCA, offers the following reminders of the stress factors in women's professional and home lives and offers some strategies for dealing with them.
Wise Advice on the Great Balancing Act
Clara Kenole Olsen, managing editor of The Botswana Gazette: "If a woman arranges time off to take care of her family, she could negotiate with her employers to do some work while she is at home that might ensure that she is not totally cut off. "
Gwen Lister, editor of The Namibian: "Balancing work and family means living absolutely chaotic lives. To move ahead you need to make sacrifices on all fronts, relationships too, but maybe that just makes us stronger."
A woman from Nigeria: "With a lot of planning and wise investment in home labor-saving appliances, one can maintain a balance. And it is important that any spare time be quality time with family. The extended family system should also be exploited to the fullest."
Again from Nigeria: "The profession of journalism for a married woman with children is not an easy task. The secret behind her success is mastering the sharing of time between career, family and herself, and not giving up no matter the challenges both at work and a home."
Professional Life
Stress Factors
Work loadLack of time management
Relationships with boss, subordinates colleagues
Visitors and persistent calls at work
Sexual harassment
Guilt over neglecting family
Discrepancies between values
Working terms and conditions
Conflicting roles: manager/housewife
Inadequate technology
Commuting and traffic jams
Gender differences our own feelings, needs and opinions
Strategies/Solutions
Set priorities with achievable goalsMake use of your assertive skills
Time management
Negotiate for salary increment and equitable remuneration
Delegate work where possible
Use stress management techniques, such as taking breaks
Prepare adequately for meetings
Don't make yourself ill trying to achieve the impossible
InCA, Ltd
Personal Life
Stress Factors
Heavy domestic choresLack of financial management at home; insufficient income
Relationship with spouse
Domestic violence
Guilt over neglecting family
Pregnancy and family planning
Marital status
Discrepancies between values
Conflicting roles: manager/house wife
Lack of social amenities
Lack of child care
Lack of modern conveniences
Different professions
Strategies/Solutions
Work out a plan on family financesManage your time better
Find time for each other; discuss sex and other family matters
Share domestic chores
Network with other women's clubs, NGOs, etc.
Organise house help and use labour-saving devices
Increase quality time for yourself, family, take holidays
Create personal space; use tact and be consistent
Do not bring office problems home
Seek counselling
Be assertive with your extended family
InCA, Ltd