Girls In Tech

Men and women can be great allies.
80% of dads want more time with the kids.
Moms with jobs are healthier and less likely to have depression.
Children turn out equally well whether their mothers work or not.
Research shows that more sharing (housework+breadwinning) equals less divorce.

These well-hidden facts were brought into the spotlight at this week’s Girls in Tech AuthorChat featuring Sharon Meers, co-author of GETTING TO 50/50: How Working Couples Can Have It All by Sharing It All.

Getting to 50 50 highlights the findings that came out of hundreds of interviews with parents and employers, thousands of surveys of working moms, and the latest government and social science research.  That Sharon Meers, a former managing director at Goldman Sachs, and Joanna Strober, a managing director at a private equity firm are the co-authors of a book on work/life balance makes this book even more striking.  But perhaps that’s what gives the book its authenticity.  If an MD at Goldman can do it, and is willing to share what the keys to success are, certainly we can too??  Below are a mix of interesting facts and strategies that I took away from the event.

1. Men and women both want change.
2. Traditional gender roles are not what’s best for kids, parents or marriages.
3. What moms think drives much of what dads do.  (Women who can “let go” and enable their partners will have partners that are more willing to share the house/child-rearing work)
4. Helping men be active fathers significantly improves outcomes for kids.
5. Bartering beats nagging (Parents should make a master plan to split up the work)
6. Know it’s not 50 50 everyday.
7. Negotiate and build a business case with employers if you require flexibility.
8. Companies get to retain top female talent and moms can keep good jobs they worked hard to get.
9. Working moms find time for kids – it needs to be possible for working dads as well.
10. Marriage is stronger when men are full parents and moms can keep good jobs.

A big thanks to Adaptive Path for co-hosting the event with Girls in Tech.  And thanks to Sharon Meers and Joanna Strober for giving us the tools and insights to bring balance and harmony back into our busy-hurry world.  To learn more about the book and see media clips from The Today Show, go to www.gettingto5050.com.