Pray out
This is the second day of PTO stay at home. This is a time off not for traveling or relaxing, but – as I said in the group chat – for being a housewife.
And over three days, I was productive: I decluttered the closet, replaced broken appliances, and even enjoyed a Pilates class at 11 am. I listen to my children more and feel more present.
As an executive, I immediately want to repeat this: for three days at the beginning of each quarter I am only a housewife.
It’s just one solution to what many millennial women and mothers are trying to figure out as they climb the corporate ladder. While some experiment with balance, like me, others just lean out completely.
Business Insider Julia Pugachevsky spoke to women in corporate America who, instead of continuing to strive for the highest ranks of organizations, are skeptical that they have the necessary flexibility to do it all. So, they were leaning.
This is done by Trisha Daab, who has been at the helm of the company for 20 years. He took a year off. “I didn’t realize how tired I was until I stopped working,” he said.
During that time, Daab volunteered at a food bank, danced, traveled, and spent more time with her children. They finally decided they couldn’t go back to the status quo. “Walking away helped me realize that my priorities had changed,” the 47-year-old said.
Former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg, who coined the term “Lean In” to encourage women to pursue corporate leadership despite family obligations as other obstacles, told Business Insider that she understands why women lean in.
“This is not a woman who says, ‘I don’t want to do it,'” Sandberg, 57, said. “It’s women saying, ‘I don’t want to do it because I’m not wanted, I don’t get the same opportunities and the same support, and I face an unfair burden at home.'”
Sandberg said it’s a shame that female leaders often support policies that favor women, such as egg freezing, lactation rooms, and competitive parental leave options.
“I just hope that enough women want senior leadership roles,” she added, “so that we get the environment for women that we deserve.”