Most women possess the intricate gift of bringing forth life. Women who are able to carry children are faced with the conundrum of birthing careers or children. As time progresses, career fields become more competitive, cost of living inclines, and wants supersedes needs. The juggling act of contemplating success as mother, wife and at career is overwhelming, but can the three coexist?
Yesterday I read a status that implied mothers are the echelon of womanhood. I’m certain this man wasn’t including women who medically couldn’t bear children, but there was purposeful nose-thumbing at women who have perfectly working wombs, but decide, for whatever reason, that now or never is not the time.
Undoubtedly both motherhood and career can simultaneously exist, but are women not privy to choose if they want to procreate? I’m a product of a multiple-job working mother and so is she. However, the progression of the amount of work put in, and the dollar amount reaped is exorbitantly different than my mother and grandmother’s time, hence longer hours at the job to make the time count; longer hours at work means less time at home. So, can women have it all—motherhood and a career?
Some would proffer, the answer to this “issue” is simply a matter of priority: “An important question women should have at the back of their minds as they apply themselves in these three areas is this: which of the three responsibilities is the most important? Which one, if asked to choose, could you live without?” asks afrikangoddessmag.com.
Is it possible to answer which responsibility can be lived without if one has yet to experience said responsibility? What about priorities shifting over time? Maybe career is important in my early 30’s, perhaps children will be in my late 30’s.
Conversely, blackenterprise.com interviewed Summer Alexander, who was a teenage mother. The CEO of Summer Research believes that the coexistence of all responsibilities are not only possible, but a necessity.
“Your children need you to pursue your dreams. It will be very important to forge ahead with your life’s plans because the desire to do so is never going to go away and if you don’t, you run the risk of pushing your dreams on your children or worse diminishing their dreams because you never pursued yours.”
I think having an understanding of your life’s purpose is first important. Once your purpose has been mapped out, then what a woman decides is priority for her life after purpose or in alignment with purpose can be done successfully—at whatever age, with or without children.
Do you think women should be more cognizant of their wombs and have children before it’s biologically possible to do so, regardless of career or mate factors? Or do you think a woman’s choice should be just that—her choice?
By Deidre White
